Birthright
by Jadelyn Tate
Summary: 2nd in the Heritage Trilogy. Releasing Apate was only the beginning...ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1: Gifts

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Summary:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy. Releasing Apate was only the beginning. The time of the Omega squad begins...  
**A/N:**This is the second fic in a trilogy and if you haven't read the first fic, Inheritance, or the prequel to the trilogy, Through Her Eyes, then you're going to get very very confused.  
**A/N 2:** Nearly every main character in this trilogy is an Original Character. You will see the canon characters (mostly SPD and DT) but for the most part, this deals with B Squad's children (and Tommy's family).  
**A/N 3:** For notes sake, every fic I write I add a TV/Movie quote at the very beginning that deals with that chapter (usually). These quotes are not always from the fic's fandom—they can come from anywhere. In the past I've done PR, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, and Firefly/Serenity. These quotes act as mini-summaries for that chapter.  
**A/N 4:** I use a LOT of mythology in my fics. If you recognize names from Myth/English classes, that's why. Mostly it's all Greek/Roman mythology. You will NOT see the most common names of various mythological people, however, but you will see them. If you have any question on who is who in Greek/Roman Mythology, don't hesitate to ask. But please, if you see something and you learned differently, don't assume I'm wrong and you're right—a lot of the myth figures had more than one name (case in point, Hercules/Heracles or Nemesis/Cybelle, same people, different names). I did a Willow in HS and taught a mythology class—I know what I'm talking about.

* * *

**Qui Gon Jinn:** _Remember: Your focus determines your reality._

* * *

"Piper, another package for you!" Aimee called from the front door. Groaning, the young cadet buried her face in a couch pillow.

It'd been two months since SPD had let out for the summer and Piper had been hanging out at home. A week into her vacation, however, she began being bombarded with gifts from various peoples. Somehow, the news of her being Tyche had been released to the general public and, though not everyone on Earth knew what it meant, hundreds of planets in the Alliance _did_. Hence, more gifts than she could possibly own had been arriving nearly every day. Whenever possible, she gave the gifts away, mostly to her family. This didn't mean she didn't keep some of it, however. At that moment, she was wearing a small crystal pendent from the people of Man-han 6.

"Whatever it is, it's big." Aimee informed her as she walked into the living room pulling a box on a transport pad. Piper peaked up from the pillow and blinked owlishly. The container was nearly as tall as her mother!

"I bet it's another tree." Paige said from the floor. Piper glanced at her sister, who was in the middle of her yoga routine. From the opposite couch, Luke smirked.

"If it is, can we give it to Uncle Bridge?" He asked mischievously. Piper, Paige, and Aimee all snickered. The first tree Piper'd been given, she'd handed over to her aunt and uncle for there gardening project. Unfortunately, the tree (nicknamed Bob) was an empath that could move and Uncle Bridge had been followed for days on end until they'd sent Bob to her mom's brother Caleb. As it was, Uncle Bridge swore the tree was going to return one day and attack him for sending it away.

"I don't think he'd take that very well." A voice full of mirth said from the doorway.

"Hi grandpa!" The kids called.

"Hey dad." Aimee told her dad. Tommy smiled at them and plopped down in the armchair.

"I have something for you, Paige." Tommy told the young girl. Paige looked over at him, biting her lip. She slowly untangled herself before walking over. Tommy quietly handed her an envelope. Piper glanced at her mother and smiled. Aimee had never been able to keep a straight face when she was excited and now was no different. Paige had been accepted.

"I GOT IN!" Paige shrieked a minute later. Piper winced and then grinned as Paige tackled there grandfather. Tommy barely had time to pat her on the back before she had run over to Luke. Their younger brother protested as Paige hugged him and then Paige turned around and saw that there father had come down to see what all the noise was about. With a laugh, he caught Paige as she dived for him. Piper stayed sitting on the couch, watching as Paige went insane.

"Why don't you read the letter out loud, sweetie." Aimee suggested. Paige nodded and pulled the now crinkled paper out. She smoothed it sheepishly.

"Dear Ms. Tate, we here at the Space Patrol Delta accept only the best into our Ranger Program. Rangers must be dedicated, responsible, and prepared for rigorous training. That said, we are happy to inform you that you have passed all requirements and a place will be held for you at the KO-35 SPD Academy if you so wish it. Please inform us of your decision at the earliest possible opportunity. Sincerely, Commander Andros Dante." She finished, her eyes shining. Luke frowned.

"I thought you were applying for Earth's Academy." He said, confused. Paige glanced at Piper.

"I didn't…I wanted…" She trailed off as Piper smiled.

"It's okay Paige. I considered going to KO-35 too, because I didn't want to deal with being an Oliver-Tate kid. You'd have to deal with being an Oliver-Tate kid and being my sister on top of it. I understand." She consoled her. Paige relaxed and smiled.

"Hey, are you going to open this? Its from Edonei." Sky called, looking the box over. Tommy's eyes narrowed.

"They wouldn't…" He whispered. They all looked at him.

"Dad?" Aimee asked, worriedly. Tommy glanced at them and shrugged, his eyes not leaving the container. Shrugging, Piper stood up and went to help her dad open it. After unscrewing the top, the rest of the sides fell away to reveal what looked like an Alpha Charge station. And sitting in it, apparently turned off, was a gold and white Alpha unit with a skirt. Piper swallowed and glanced at her family.

"Somehow, I don't think I'm gonna be able to give this one away."

* * *

It'd been a week since Paige had gotten her letter and Piper had gotten the Alpha unit from King Dex.

"_Lady Tyche, it is with great honor that I send you this unique Alpha Unit. It has been designed specifically for your use and enjoyment. Please accept our gift and we hope that one day you will grace us with your presence. Sincerely yours, Dex, King of Edonei and Masked Rider."_

She was a little worried about the "it has been designed specifically for your use" part of King Dex' letter and had yet to turn it on.

"Maybe it knows what you're supposed to do." Alycia suggested at the barbeque for Paige later that week. Piper made a face as the newly returned Claudia and the besotted Kelson settled next to Ella.

"I know what I have to do. I just don't want to." She replied, poking her salad. Eli and Ella exchanged glances.

"Maybe it knows more than just getting rid of Apate." Claudia suggested.

"Apate? Are we talking on how to kick her ass?" Troy asked as he, Nikki, Thomas, Jon, and the new Pink Ranger Zippy plopped down on the grass in front of them. Piper sent the former pink ranger a fleeting smile.

"I got a _unique_ Alpha Unit from King Dex." She told the older girl. Nikki nodded.

"Troy told me. Have you turned it on, yet?" She asked. Piper shook her head, staring at her plate.

"Grandpa's been closeting himself in his office again, like he did when that Lieutenant came to take you away. He knows something and I don't think it's good." She murmured. Eli gingerly wrapped an arm around her waist in comfort. Piper shot him a grateful look. Nikki studied her.

"You won't know anything until you turn it on. And I'd think you'd like to know everything possible about Apate. I know I do, and I'm not in your shoes." Nikki told her quietly. Piper bit her lip; Ella, Alycia, Eli, Claudia, her parents, and her grandfather had all said the same thing.

* * *

Later that night, Piper tiptoed from her bedroom, trying not to wake Claudia who was staying with the Tate's until school started again, and down to the basement. There, in the corner, was the still stationary Alpha.

"Don't lose your nerve, Piper. You can do this." She muttered, flipping the switch on the back of the Charge Alcove. Within a few minutes, the Alpha was up and running.

"Hello. Lady Tyche?" The Alpha asked in a lilting feminine voice. Sighing in resignation, Piper nodded.

"I am." She informed her. The Alpha nodded.

"I am Alpha-Beta C. I was commissioned by Zordon of Eltar and King Dex to assist you in any way possible. All information pertaining to your duties I have full access to. What do you wish of me?" Alpha asked. Piper blinked.

"Do you mind if I call you ABC? Alpha-Beta C will be a bit of a mouthful, no offense." Piper added hastily. The Alpha tilted her head and nodded.

"That is acceptable. What do you wish to be called, my lady?" the newly christened ABC asked. Piper sighed.

"Just…Piper. And no 'my lady.'" She asked. ABC nodded.

"Very well. If I may ask…where are we Piper?" she asked. Piper lips quirked.

"My basement. I've been a little wary on, um, activating you, honestly." She admitted. ABC nodded.

"Understandable. Do you have any requests of me, Piper?" She inquired. Piper glanced around. Seeing no one but herself and ABC, she turned to the robot.

"What do you know about me being Tyche?" She asked. ABC went still, lights flashing.

"Tyche is the Daughter of Good, the offspring of the Great Lady Hemera and Great Lord Aether. She was born as the opposite of the Daughter of Evil, Apate, child of the Terrible Lady Nyx and the Terrible Lord Erebus. She would be born into Mortal flesh and would be charged in keeping the balance between Good and Evil. She would give birth to the start of a new cycle of Good versus Evil. She would be aided by five beings of extreme power sent with her by Chronos and Hemera. She would also come into possession of the mythical Omega Crystals which she would give to five warriors worthy of there gift." ABC recited. Piper frowned, brow furrowed.

"I'm getting another warrior?" She asked. ABC tilted her head in apparent puzzlement.

"You already have warriors, Piper?" She asked. Piper nodded.

"Eli, Ella, Alycia, and Claudia are hosts for Prometheus, Cratus, Aneris, and Dike. From what you said, I'm getting another one." Piper explained. ABC nodded.

"You will have one more, Cybelle, Warrior of Retribution." She agreed. Piper nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What about these crystals? How will I get them?" She asked. ABC went still again as she accessed the information.

"The Crystals were made by The Great Lady and scattered across the cosmos. The Daughter is meant to gather them together and bestow there powers on those she deems worthy. Apate will try everything in her power to get these crystals herself. They must not fall into her hands." ABC told her. Piper bit her lip.

"I see. Any idea where the crystals are?"

"Eltar, Edonei, Aquitar, Mirinoi, and Phaedos." Claudia said from behind her. Piper jumped and fell from her perch on a box. Claudia smiled a bit before bending down to help her up.

"Where'd you come from?" Piper asked breathlessly once back on her feet. Claudia smirked.

"Being Dike has its advantages." Was all she would say.

"Hmph." Piper scowled as the two girls sat down. Claudia glanced at the silent automaton curiously.

"Oh, Claudia, this is ABC. ABC, this is Claudia. She hosts Dike." Was the haphazard introduction. Claudia gave the machine a puzzled smile.

"ABC?" She asked. ABC nodded.

"It is what Piper wishes to call me. I do not mind." She replied. Claudia glanced at Piper and rolled her eyes.

"What's her real name?" She asked. Piper smiled.

"Alpha-Beta C." She replied and Claudia giggled.

"So, you know about the Crystals?" Piper asked. Claudia nodded, having grown use to the way Piper's mind jumped subjects.

"When you were in your Astral Coma, we did research. That's all we could find." She explained. Piper nodded.

"Looks like I'm off to see the wizard." She murmured, standing up. She glanced at her watch and grimaced.

"After I get some sleep that is."

* * *

"Hey Piper." Nikki greeted the younger girl the next day. Piper looked up, a smile on her face as she put aside the box of trinkets that had arrived from Altinar that morning.

"Hi Nikki!" She greeted, jumping to her feet to clear off the end of her bed so the other girl could sit. Nikki held out a hand, stopping her.

"I can't stay. I have to get back to SPD to help the Commander tighten the security measures. I just wanted to drop this off before we both got crazy busy." She told her. Frowning, Piper accepted the notebook the other girl was holding out. She flipped through it and was surprised to see page after page of neat, precise handwriting.

"What is this?" She asked. Nikki made a face.

"It's everything I remember from Apate. Everything she did and everything I could hear. Stuff you should know." She explained, fidgeting. Piper nodded, placing the notebook on her bedside table.

"Thank you." She told the other girl. Nikki nodded sharply. With a tight smile, Nikki left. Sighing, Piper flopped back on her bed, causing a small box to fall and spill across the floor. She groaned.

"Issues, thy name is Piper."


	2. Chapter 2: A Ship

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Pairings:**Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.  
**A/N:**This is the second fic in a trilogy and if you haven't read the first fic, Inheritance, or the prequel to the trilogy, Through Her Eyes, then you're going to get very very confused very very quickly.

* * *

"You know what I must do?" She asked the wizened mage and her grandfather. They both nodded, Tommy reluctantly. Piper smiled wryly from her perch in his office.

"I don't like it either but when Nikki wrote up what she remembered from Apate, there was a grand total of nine pages dedicated to those crystals. And little snippets elsewhere too. I can't let her get them." She explained. Tommy smiled at her tiredly.

"You're more like me than I thought." He told her wryly. She smirked as Zordon looked on in amusement.

"Yeah, cause the uniform Tyche chose didn't tell us that before." She shot back sarcastically and he and Zordon both chuckled.

"Tommy is who you most connect with in terms of personality and character, Piper. You are ever aware of being his granddaughter and you wear that title proudly. It was only natural that you would choose his most cherished uniform and his first sigil." He spoke up. Tommy and Piper grinned at each other.

"Which tells you how well you're gonna do with Apate." He told her proudly. Piper smiled. Tommy glanced down at his desk and picked up a data pad.

"Back to business. I've arranged a private ship for you—made specifically for you by the Triforians, in fact." He told her, handing her the pad. She took in utter shock.

"The Triforians made me a ship? But their ships are the best in the galaxy!" She exclaimed as she turned the pad on and began studying her new home. Tommy pinched his nose.

"I'm aware of that Piper. After news of your being Tyche hit the populace, I had a very long…er… _conversation_ with a very agitated Triforian king who demanded to know how he and Triforia could help. I like Trey, but finding out you are Tyche did nothing for his stress levels." He murmured. Piper grimaced--Trey had always been rather protective of the children and grandchildren of all the former Zeo's. She liked the man but she had enough protectors' thank you very much!

"So he made me this?" She asked, turning her attention back to the ship. Tommy pressed a button and a holographic model appeared on top of his desk.

"Trey designed the ship specifically for you—the shields are the best in the galaxy, it can go twice as fast as the Astro Megaship Mark 2, and its weapons are some of the best I've ever seen. Additionally, it has tactic, evasive, and firing patterns pre-programmed and is one of the easiest ships to maneuver. It's small, as you can see, but like you, it proves that size doesn't matter." He smiled at her as she pouted.

"Additionally, it has two small storage bays, a full earth standard kitchen with a connecting dining area, 5 bedrooms with private baths, a training room, a small medic room, and a docking bay filled with small one man fighter jets similar to Zhane's old Silver Cycle. It also has 5 Galaxy Gliders courteous of Andros and a small tank vehicle courteous of Karone and Zhane. The bridge is at the top and the engine room is at the bottom—everything else is on the three levels between them." He finished. Piper blinked. She was silent for a few minutes, staring at the holograph. Finally, she looked to her grandfather's, her expression baffled.

"All that's in this itty bitty ship?"

* * *

"So I hear you got a ship."

Piper looked up from her lunch and grimaced. The base was silent, practically empty and would remain so until the new and old cadets returned in a week. She, Nikki, and the current B and C Squads were the only cadets there. Unfortunately the two squads were preparing for Orientation with the new students and therefore didn't have the time to eat with her.

"You heard?" She asked as Nikki plopped her tray down. The older girl nodded.

They were silent as they ate. Finally, Nikki wiped her mouth and forced Piper to look at her. "You're going after those crystals, aren't you?" She asked. Piper nodded, unable to lie to the former pink ranger.

"E Squad know?" She asked suspiciously, referring to Eli, Ella, Claudia, and Alycia. Piper's shoulder's dropped and she shook her head.

"I'm not dragging them with me. They have enough on there plate as it is." She murmured. Nikki didn't say anything to that, only nodded. Within half an hour, both girls had finished and had returned there trays. Before leaving the empty dining hall, Nikki touched Piper's shoulder. The younger girl looked up quizzically.

"Got room for me?"

* * *

**End Notes:** Thanks to _Lauren_, _Tierra_, _DracoWolf88_, _general-joseph-dickson_, and _writerpayne _for the reviews! From here on out I'm going to try and post new chapters for both Birthright and Dark Wings at the same time. I'm also hoping to update once a week--if I don't, feel free to bug me with PM's, Emails, or general reviews to get writing.I'm also hoping to have a website up soon with all the graphics for my fics (and eventually, the fics themselves). I'll keep ya'll updated on that. 


	3. Chapter 3: Not So Sneaking Off

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Pairings:**Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.  
**A/N:** This is the second fic in a trilogy and if you haven't read the first fic, Inheritance, or the prequel to the trilogy, Through Her Eyes, then you're going to get very very confused.

* * *

"Cadets, this way!" Eli yelled, herding the new cadets to the indoor gym. Eli smiled as various older cadets' yelled greetings or waved—ever since they had saved the academy the year before, the newly christened E Squad had been treated as celebrities. Piper, of course, got the brunt of it, but all of them had felt the touch of fame that summer. 

"Hey Eli, Alycia's saving our seats!" Claudia yelled over at him from the door. He nodded as two first year cadets looked at him in awe. No, not him, he realized when he felt someone come up beside him._Piper_.

"Hey. Seems you have another admirer." He told her before yelling over at a group of staring cadets to get a move on. As they hurried inside, he turned to see Piper grimace. He smiled gently.

"No worries, once they get in the thick of things, they'll lose interest." He told her gently. Her eyes flickered with something, but it was gone before he could identify it.

"Yeah, sure." She murmured, eyeing the last of the cadets making their way inside the gym. She sighed.

"I'll see you, Grandpa wants to showcase me—he seems to think if we be upfront it won't be as crazy than if everything is kept hush-hush." She informed him and he nodded. As she hurried over to the stage, he walked over and sat in the front row seats closest to the doors Alycia has snagged—if they had to, they could easily sneak off without anyone noticing.

"Where's Piper going?" Claudia asked once he sat down. He shrugged.

"Commander Oliver wants to be upfront." He informed them. Claudia made a face.

"Piper must be loving that." She remarked dryly. Alycia and Ella snickered.

"Cadets, welcome again to Space Patrol Delta, academy of rangers. This is why you are here. In a few years, some of you may be standing on this stage, wearing the mantle of Power Ranger!" he told them, his eyes twinkling as the current B Squad stepped onto the stage. Eli was thrown back in time, when he was sitting with Eli and Alycia while Piper had been sitting with Claudia—it was weird to think that a year ago he was where the current first years were, with no idea of what was to come. Glancing at the girls, he saw the same conflicting emotions on their faces.

"Weird, isn't it?" Ella whispered and they nodded.

"And now, as many of you have undoubtfully learned over the summer, something happened last Year here at the academy. An evil entity possessed one of our rangers and used her body to commit horrible acts. Unfortunately, as a ranger, this kind of thing happens a lot." Commander Oliver continued his speech, Eli studied the stage. His brow furrowed.

"Guys, where's Piper?" He asked, motioning to the stage. Ella, Alycia, and Claudia's eyes narrowed.

"Nikki and Troy are missing too." Ella murmured.

"So's Uncle Sky and Aunt Aimee." Alycia whispered. Claudia and Eli glanced at one another and he saw the same realization in her eyes that was forming in his stomach.

"She's taking off; she's going after the crystals." She whispered. Eli's eyes burned brightly.

"Not without us she's not." He informed them hotly before gingerly scooting off the bleachers. Quietly and with minimum fuss, the girls followed.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, Tommy had been keeping an eye on the four cadets and inwardly grinned when he saw them sneak off_. I told her leaving them behind wasn't going to work_, he thought to himself as he continued his speech about the new safety procedures. _Be careful you guys._

* * *

"How are we supposed to get around them?" Alycia asked when they saw Sky, Aimee, and Dr. Manx standing by the shuttle and talking with Piper and Nikki. Alycia's eyes narrowed and she grabbed Eli hand. Eli quickly grasped Ella's as he realized what the girl was planning. Ella made a face; she hated phasing through stuff. Alycia looked over her shoulder with a smirk. 

"Can you grab Claud?" She asked and Eli turned around to find Troy crouching behind them with a duffle bag. He smirked and grabbed Claudia's hand before disappearing.

"Meet you in the engine room storage." Claudia whispered and then they were gone. Eli and Ella exchanged a glanced and suddenly he was engulfed in metal, dirt, and plastic as Alycia walked through the floor. Just as quickly as it began, he and the girls rose from the floor into the interior of the shuttle. Ella shivered.

"I hate doing that!" She informed Alycia with a face. The other girls smiled wryly.

"Think how I feel." She shot back. Eli rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's go find Troy and Claud and hide." He ordered the girls nodded. Within minutes, the three members of E Squad were squatting in the back of the Engine storage room, hiding behind a couple crates. The door opened and closed before Troy and Claudia popped back into existence. Eli motioned for them to come and sit with them just as Dr. Manx voice boomed through the shuttle bay.

"Elysian Flyer, you have a go." She called just as the engines revved up. Troy and Claudia rushed over to sit with them, grasping there hands to keep from falling as the ship rose. Troy cursed when he fell.

"This is Elysian Flyer heading out." Piper's voice came through the ship speakers. "Be seeing you grandma."

"Be careful girls—Tommy will never forgive you if you get yourself killed." Kat said. The five cadets glanced at each other in surprise when Piper AND Nikki could both be heard snickering.

"We'll take that under advisement Grandma." Piper laughed. "This is the Elysian Flyer, checking out."

"May the Power Protect you all."

* * *

**End Notes: **Thanks to everyone for the reviews! 

_Lauren:_ You're not wrong. (grins)

_general-joseph-dickson: _Nikki isn't evil anymore; in fact, she never was. She was being possessed by Apate but now that Apate has her own body, Nikki's in the clear. So nope, no tricks.

_garnetred: _When Piper/Tyche excorcised Apate from Nikki's body, she also gave Apate a new, mortal body. Hence Troy was able to stick a sword through Apate's body at the end of the battle in Inheritance. So, um, no occupying this time around. At least not for Apate. (grins)


	4. Chapter 4: The Elysian Flyer

**Author:** Jadelyn Ja Lee  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Pairings:**Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.  
**A/N:**This is the second fic in a trilogy and if you haven't read the first fic, Inheritance, or the prequel to the trilogy, Through Her Eyes, then you're going to get very very confused.

* * *

"Hey Piper?" Nikki called. Piper was staring blankly out the window of the bridge.

"Yeah?" she asked, not moving. Nikki looked at her, her expression full of bemusement.

"I told you they weren't gonna leave well enough alone," she replied. Piper's eyes widened and she scrambled up to see what Nikki was looking at.

"They didn't!" she groaned, looking down at the video feed. Eli, Ella, Claudia, and Alycia were sitting in a tangle of limbs in one of the engine room storage bays. She blinked as her gaze caught something.

"Is that TROY?!" she asked incredulously. Nikki didn't answer. Piper glanced at her; the other girl didn't look very happy. A sudden beeping caused both girls to jump and Piper glanced around suspiciously; she still didn't know what half the terminals were for.

"It's the Commander," Nikki announced. Piper glanced back down to the screen and made a face. She suddenly had a thought; lips twitching, she gave Nikki a curious stare.

"Do we have a main screen?" she asked and Nikki nodded. She pressed a few buttons the expanse of space that previously took up the entire front window of the ship was replaced by her grandfather's face. Piper beamed.

"Just like Star Trek! Hi grandpa!" she chirped, moving to stand in front of the screen. He chuckled.

"Have you found your stowaways yet?" he asked, amused. Piper made a face.

"You knew?!" she demanded. He gave her a look.

"I told you, leaving behind your team never works," he scolded lightly. Behind her, Piper heard the other girl snort.

"That's the truth," she muttered. Piper ignored this, and the subsequent chuckle from her grandfather.

"I can drop them off Station 6," she suggested, mentioning the nearest station to Earth. Tommy scowled.

"Piper," his voice was annoyed and Piper made a face.

"Granddad, I've gotten them into enough—this is going to be dangerous. Apate is not gonna let me just get the stupid crystals without a fight," she pointed out. Tommy nodded.

"Exactly; you need a team to watch your back. That's them," he shot back. Piper grimaced.

"But—" she began but was cut off by Tommy.

"That's enough Piper. Deal and move on," he ordered. Piper pouted.

"Fine," she replied sullenly, crossing her arms. Tommy eyes twinkled as he looked at her.

"If you start whining, I'll tell Andros to send your skinny behind back to Earth and we'll send someone else to get the crystals," he warned. Piper glared at him and uncrossed her arms.

"My behind is not skinny," she grumbled and looked over her shoulder to glare at Nikki when the other girl snickered. On the screen, Tommy looked skywards.

"This is Karma, isn't it?" he asked. Piper gave him a puzzled look; he shrugged.

"My parents always said I was going to regret my actions as a teen," he told her lightly. Piper and Nikki snorted.

"What about Troy?" Piper asked suddenly, hopefully. It was Tommy's turn to make a face.

"He stays with you guys—Thomas has taken his spot as Blue and Kelson has taken Thomas' as green," he told them. Piper opened her mouth to argue and Tommy glared.

"That's my decision Piper—he's your brother and you need to deal with the fact that if we can help, we're going to," he reprimanded her. Piper sighed.

"I get that, really I do. But…do you realize how annoying its gonna be having my big brother along for the ride?" she asked. Tommy snorted.

"You're the one in charge Piper," he pointed out. She brightened.

"I am?" she asked, excited. Tommy nodded, looking bemused.

"You own the ship, not him. Just point that tidbit out to him and then threaten him with the airlock—he'll behave," he suggested. Piper grinned and Nikki snickered.

"Besides, at least now Eli's not the only guy," he added, causing Piper and Nikki to crack up.

"Grandpa," Piper wheezed, "His four best friends are female; I seriously doubt the estrogen would do him in."

"Yeah, well, wait until he has to deal with five young woman PMSing at the same time then we'll see how well he deals," he commented dryly, sending Piper and Nikki into fresh peals of laughter.

* * *

An hour later, Piper was inspecting the various terminals. She and Nikki had decided to let the five stowaways stew for a while down in the engine room. After convinging Piper that turning up the temperature in the room as a mini-punishment for tagging along would be a bad idea, Nikki had headed down to her room to unpack, leaving Piper to inspect her new ship properly. The ship had arrived on Earth the day before so she hadn't had time to thoroughly go through everything.

The bridge had been designed with familiarity in mind, according to Trey—he'd known how much she'd enjoyed the Next Generation Star Trek show when she was kid. It was shaped in an octagon, with the front side holding the window slash viewing screen, the back side holding the door to the lift, and the six other sides holding computer terminals. The center had three chairs and another terminal directly behind them, the weapons terminal. In front of the screen was two pilot stations.

After a quick inspection, she discovered the six side stations held the security station, a bridge medical station, engineering, basic operations like life support and shields, long range scanners, and a private communications consol. Every station except for Weapons had chairs that magnetically stuck to the floor.

Sinking into the center seat, Piper sighed. It was clear from the size of the bridge (not to mention the number of beds in the bedrooms) that Trey had meant for her to have an actual crew on her trips, not just her, her brother, and her five friends.

Thinking about the living quarters made her think about who was gonna be where. The living portion of the ship was designed like a house-it was in the center of the ship and was roughly rectangular shaped. You entered on the one side of the rectangle to find yourself in the living portion—thick couches lined a entertainment screen. There was no walls to separate the living area with the dining area nor the kitchen. I was simply one huge, open space. Along the two side walls were four color-coded doors with a fifth door at the far end by the kitchen. The doors on the side were blue, yellow, green, and red with the far door a vibrant gold.

The gold room was the only private room and was intended for her use only—she'd realized that immediately upon walking inside. It held a large bed with a golden canopy, an office area, and a private reading area, complete with couch. It was also decked out almost exclusively in gold and white. It looked like it could have been a set from the old TV show Stargate.

The other four rooms each contained two bunk beds, two tall dressers, two desks, and a door that led to a private bath. Nikki had already moved into the green room, feeling it appropriate considering the history of the color. Piper had merely shrugged and told her she didn't care which one she chose.

"Now I have to figure out where everyone else is going to sleep."

* * *

**End Notes: **Thanks to _Tierra_, _Lauren_, general-josepth-dickson, _writerpayne_, and _garnetred _for the reviews!

general-joseph-dickson: Apate was given her own body at the end of Inheritance so there is no need to her to possess anyone anymore. Besides that, she can't.

Also, a side note, I wrote a 7 1/4 page interlude to Birthright--called Reunions. It's somewhat based on what Tommy's doing during a few of the chapters of Birthight and it's posted on Additionally, I swear I'm working on the website! It's just not going as fast as I hoped it would. (makes face) Coding is evil...


	5. Chapter 5: Reunited

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.  
**A/N: **So…after almost a year of being on hold, I'm starting Birthright back up. :D Enjoy!

* * *

"Rise and shine, sleepyheads!"

Eli groaned as the overhead lights flared to life. He had been sleeping semi upright when he heard the door open and Nikki and Piper come in. Therefore, his eyes had been open when she finally turned the lights on. Around him, the others groaned at the sudden illumination.

"Damn it, Piper, I'm seeing stars now!" Troy groaned. Eli squinted and winced at the expression on his girlfriends face. She did not appear happy.

Piper ignored her brother and turned to Eli. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded. Eli gave her a dazzling smile.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Piper stared at him for a few minutes before throwing her hands in the air and stalking from the room. As the automatic doors slid close, they could all hear her mutter something about doors and the slamming of them. Eli looked at the group.

"Was it something I said?"

* * *

"Here we are!" Nikki said as they walked into the living quarters. Claudia grinned when she saw Piper come out of the gold door at the end. Without waiting for anyone to say anything, she ran forward and threw herself at her friend. Piper let out a breath of air but hugged her back.

"Claud…?" Piper asked, looking down at her.

"I'm sorry but we're your friends and we want to help and what good is it being Lady Dike if I can't use the power?" she asked in one breath. A few minutes passed before Piper relaxed and rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah yeah, teammates till the end, I hear it from Nikki and Grandpa," she agreed.Troy cleared his throat and Piper glanced over at him and the others. She tilted her heads at the other girls and Ella and Alycia dashed forward to hug her as well. Ignoring Claudia's mumbling from where she was squished, Piper raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"My ship, my rules. You don't listen and granddad told me I could throw you out an airlock," she told him seriously. He simply grinned at his sister and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend as Eli finally got up the nerve to join the girls hug. Piper glanced at the boy.

"Just don't ever do that again," she told her boyfriend and he nodded as he leaned over Alycia's head to give her a quick kiss.

"GUYS! I CAN'T BREATHE!" Claudia yelled from inside the group. Alycia, Ella, and Piper's eyes widened as they hurriedly moved back so Claudia could get some air. She half heartedly glared at them as she gulped.

"Sorry, Claud," Alycia murmured apologetically. Claud just continued to gulp. Piper looked and nodded at Nikki, telling her silently to head out to talk to Troy. Taking the hint, the former pink ranger grabbed the former blue rangers arm and dragged him into the green room. Piper grinned and turned to them.

"So, sleeping assignments!"

* * *

"Dress appropriately," Andros told her a few days later when they neared the Kerovian system. The group had spent the rest of the day before touring the ship, learning the rough plan Piper and Nikki had come up with, and figured out who was staying where. Eventually, Piper had put Eli and Troy in the red room, Claudia in the blue room, and Ella and Alycia had agreed to share the yellow room.

"What do you mean, dress appropriately?" she asked, confused, as the others held in snickers. She was sitting in the "captain's" chair. They're been a minor scuffle between herself and Troy over who was captain until Nikki had pointed out that technically he was a stowaway on _her_ ship and Piper would be well within her rights to throw him out the airlock. Troy had grudgingly settled into the "Commander's" chair while Eli had staked claim to one of the pilot's chairs. Alycia was sitting at the long range scanners, Ella at engineering, and Claudia and Nikki were both standing behind the weapons consol.

"You're not coming as Piper, Piper," Andros told her, sounding amused. "You're gonna have to decide how to dress as Tyche now—you're gonna have distinguish between Piper and Tyche for the planet's you meet."

"…I can figure out how to dress as Tyche?" she asked, intrigued. He smirked, suspecting he knew where her mind had wandered to. Billy, Carlos, and Justin had been very bad influences on Aimee and Aimee's daughter.

"More than likely no one will know the difference if you're in Tolkien or Star Wars dresses," he told her knowingly and she grinned.

"This is gonna be fun!"

* * *

**End Notes:** I know it's a bit short, but I promise the next chapter will make up for that.


	6. Chapter 6: KO35

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate

**Story:** Birthright

**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.

**A/N: **So….after several months of being on hold, I'm starting Birthright back up. :D Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey Piper, we have clearance to land," Eli called. Piper fidgeted in her dress and nodded for him to take them in. Last night, Eli, Nikki, and Troy had decided that given Piper's position of power as far as the people of KO 35 was concerned, it wouldn't look good if she docked the ship herself at the rotating Space Station, especially since they were supposed to be her crew. Therefore, Eli was doing the piloting. Piper was slightly annoyed they weren't allowed to dock actually on the planet; apparently her uncle wanted to talk to her first and could only do that at the station.

"Tell me again why I have to wear this thing?" Nikki complained next to her. Piper's lips twitched as Nikki picked at her clothing. Like the other woman, she was dressed in an outfit that was inspired by Star Wars; long sleeve colored floor length dress with a black sleeveless coat over it. Nikki's was green while each of the other girls wore dresses that corresponded with Dke, Aneris, and Cratus. Troy and Eli wore black slacks and a black and red top respectively. The tops were exactly the same but for the color; long sleeve with a high collar and clasps down the front.

Piper was dressed in a gold and white version of Padme Amidala's senate gown from Star Wars Episode II (specifically, the one where she see's Anakin for the first time since Episode I). Piper, despite loving the look of the gown, couldn't wait to get back into a flight or SPD uniform.

"Ready?" Nikki asked once they docked. Piper nodded and stood up. The group quickly made there way to the airlock. A quick check of the system and Ella had them opened before quickly moving to stand behind Piper. The girl made a face as Eli and Troy lead the way in front while the girls covered the back. As they cleared the docking doorway, several men and woman who seemed to have been waiting for them to get out of the way marched onto the ship. Piper's eyes widened.

"Hey, you can't…" she trailed off as Andros moved forward and waved for the startled men and woman to continue. Piper frowned at him when she heard his voice in her head.

_/Let them be, Piper/_ he projected. _/I'll explain later. And remember decorum!/_

"Commander Dante," she spoke aloud, nodding at him as regally as she could under the circumstances. Andros' eyes flashed briefly with amusement before he held out a hand. Inwardly seething, she accepted the arm as Troy, Eli, and the girls rearranged themselves around the older man and Piper. Andros led her forward where a small group of officious men and women waited.

"Lady Tyche, it is an honor to make your esteemed acquaintance," the man at the front said as he fell into a bow.

_/What's his name?/_ Piper projected to her uncle. Andros appeared slightly startled for a moment before he pulled himself together.

_/Chancellor Alstoin, Senior Advisor to the King. The woman is Lady Ardra, Personal Assistant to the Queen, and the other man is Commander Mavel; he's in charge of the Station. And be careful, they're telepaths as well./_ Andros told her. Piper nodded at the trio.

"The honor is mine, Chancellor Alstoin," she murmured softly. The advisor seemed pleased she knew of him. She tilted her head at the woman. "It is an honor to meet you as well, Lady Ardra."

"Trust me, all of KO-35 is thrilled for your visit," Ardra told her. Piper's lips twitched as she turned to the Commander.

"Thank you for meeting us, Commander Mavel. I know my ship will be in good hands here when the Commander himself comes to meet me," she told him and he nodded; there was an amused smile on his face at all the formality.

"You're ship will be afforded all the protection we can give it, milady," he agreed with a grin. Inwardly, Piper decided she liked him; he seemed to have a good sense of humor.

"Shall we adjourn to the shuttle waiting to transport you down to the planet?" Alstoin requested, moving to leave. Piper held up a hand, glancing at her uncle out of the corner of her eye.

"Actually, I need to speak with Commander Dante alone, first, if you please," she requested politely. Ardra and Mavel's lips twitched into amused smiles as Alstoin quickly hid a grimace.

"Of course, milady," Alstoin said. He glanced at the smiling Station Commander. "I'm sure you have an adequate location for the Daughter of Light?"

_/Daughter of Light? And don't worry about the telepathy, no one can hear my conversations unless I want them too; it's a perk of being Tyche./_ she told her uncle as Mavel bristled. He chuckled at her mentally.

_/I'd get used to the title if I were you./_ he sent back easily as the station Commander motioned for them to follow him. Within a few minutes, Piper, Andros, Eli, and Claudia were inside the Commander's private office while Troy, Nikki, Ella, and Alycia stood guard outside with the Chancellor, Lady, and officer.

"What is going on?" Piper asked finally, dropping all formalities. Andros grimaced.

"The King has decided to put you up in the palace during your stay; you're officially a royal visitor," he told her. Piper grimaced but nodded. She'd half expected that.

"Why did you send those men and women into my ship?" she asked next. The former red space ranger winced.

"Cruger has assigned a crew of six men and woman to be stationed on the Flyer," he told her reluctantly. Piper's eyes flashed with fury but she refrained from speaking when Andros held up a hand.

"I know, I know, it's your ship, not his and he shouldn't be making those kinds of decisions without your say-so," he agreed. "However, myself and Tommy agreed with the idea that not having to worry about the everyday working of the ship would free you up to research and get the crystals."

Piper fumed quietly for a few minutes as Eli and Claudia looked on in annoyance. They weren't happy about the additions any more than Piper.

"Either Nikki and I will move in with Ella and Alycia, or we'll all move in with Nikki," Claudia told her. Eli made a face.

"No one's moving in with me and Troy though," he told Andros firmly. Andros rolled his eyes.

"You won't have to share," he told them. "We're going to convert the second storage bay into living quarters for the secondary crew. And according to what Trey told me two hours ago when he sent the specs for the Flyer, there are three more spaces currently sealed off that can be turned into additional bedrooms in the current living quarters."

"So the group who went onto the ship…" she trailed off as Andros nodded.

"They're not the crew, they're just going in to do the converting and install Alpha 5's charging station," he told her with a small grin. Piper's eyes lit up; somehow she knew what he was going to say next.

"Zordon will be joining you as well."

* * *

After quickly asking her uncle to make some changes to the main living area, the four left the office to find Alstoin waiting.

"Milady, your shuttle awaits!" he told her with a bright smile. Piper's face remained impassive even as she caught Alycia and Ella rolling their eyes.

One shuttle later and they were standing just inside the doors to the throne room of the King of Elysian. As they waited to be recognized, Piper mentally spoke with the other six about what she knew of Kerovian politics.

_/This is a bit confusing but the government is actually a very odd mix between the US and British governments back on Earth before the consolidation. The King, Queen, and the heir's are mostly leftover from when they lived on Kerova, their home planet that was destroyed several thousand years ago. There are two councils, High and Low. The High Council is made up of nobles of Kerova and Ambassadors from other planets. The Low Council is made up mostly of civilians, military men, and such that the people send as their regional emissaries./_ she informed them.

_/That sounds mostly British style./_ Eli commented. Piper's lips quirked.

_/And It would be, if the Royal Family didn't have the same amount of power the US president does in the US./_ she told him. _/I told you it was confusing./_

_/What about Alstoin and Ardra?/ _Ella asked. Piper sent a mental shrug and glanced at her uncle who'd been listening in.

_/In addition to the High and Low Councils, there are also the King's Command, the Queen's Ladies, and the Prince and Princess' Lords and Ladies. The Chancellor is the only one with an official title among all of them; he's in charge of them all and acts as the closest non royal advisor to the King./_ Andros replied.

_/Who are likely to be behind the doors?/_ Alycia asked as the guards seemed to be getting ready for their entrance. Alstoin was speaking privately with a small man, motioning to each of the group as he went. Andros' lips quirked.

_/There will be an Assembly they'd like you to attend in two days time, when everyone will be present. For now, the only people inside should be the three highest members of the High Council, the three highest members of the Low Council, the Royal family, the King's Command, and the Queen's Ladies./_

_/How many in the Command and the Ladies?/ _Eli asked.

_/Six in each./_ he replied just as the doors opened.

"Presenting her Ladyship, Mortal Daughter of Schuyler and Aimee Tate of Earth, Mortal Grandchild of Tommy Oliver of Earth, Spiritual Daughter of Lady Hemera and Lord Aether, and Daughter of Light, Lady Tyche!"

As Piper walked into the room, the group filing in behind her, she had to hide a grimace. She hated how everyone was making a big deal out of the Tyche thing. He granddad had warned her, as had Zordon, but that didn't mean she had to like it. As she walked towards the raised dias, she quietly inspected the people in the room. Along one side were six men and women dressed in officious looking robes. Just behind each of them were what appeared to be servants. Piper's eyes crinkled when she recognized Tykwa as one of the officials.

The other side held what could only be nine of the King's Command the Queen's Ladies. Piper was slightly startled to notice her Aunt Ashley, Aunt Karone, and Uncle Zhane were among them. Barely holding in a grin, Piper turned to her attention straight ahead. Alstoin was at the Dais, standing just off to the side of an excited looking young man Paige's age. Opposite the Prince and Alstoin was a young woman a few years older than the prince and Ardra. Finally, Piper turned to her gaze on the King and Queen.

The first thing she noticed was that they both had laughing eyes. While happy about her arrival, they seemed amused by something. Piper gave them a bit of a smile and the Queen's eyes crinkled back as the King chuckled.

"It is an honor, King Vinsent, Queen Moriana, Princess Camea, Prince Kellan," she said, tilting her head at each as she spoke their name. The King beamed at her and stood.

"The honor, Lady Tyche, is all ours," he told her. "We have heard much about you, beyond what you have accomplished since your awakening."

Piper's eyes widened and she suddenly realized what had amused the royal couple. They apparently knew of the dual role she had to play.

"What is it you have come to our home for?" Queen Moriana asked quietly, her voice soft but carrying. Piper turned to her, remembering somewhere in the back of her head that Moriana was the true royal while the King was technically her consort.

"You're Majesty, I and my Protectors, Dike, Cratus, Aneris, and Prometheus, as well as my friend Nikki and my mortal brother Troy, seek your historical records of Kerova," she told them politely. "We have to find a temple your ancestors built when my mother last came to visit."

"Of course, Lady Tyche, all our records our at your disposal," Moriana agreed. "However, I feel I must tell you, Kerova's atmosphere was all but destroyed years ago. You will not be able to set foot on the planet itself."

"I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," she told them with a smile. Moriana nodded, leaning back and studying Piper. Suddenly, the Queen smiled.

"I like you, Lady Tyche," she announced. "Ardra, see to it that our guests are settled in the North wing and have adequate assistance."

"Yes, milady," Ardra murmured and stepped forward with a small smile.

"I look forward to speaking with you more, Lady Tyche," Moriana told her. Piper nodded back.

"I as well, you're Majesty."

* * *

"Okay, are we gonna get this treatment everywhere?" Piper asked as she stood in awe. The room she'd been shown to was HUGE! The bed alone could easily fit all six of the Tate siblings, which said a lot since Luke, Troy, and Paige all kicked in their sleep.

Andros chuckled. "Most likely," he agreed. "The others are all down this hall."

Piper nodded as a knock came from the door. They both turned. "Come in!" Piper called out. Ashley and Karone all strode in. Behind them were eight more women. Andros smiled.

"Ash, Karone," he gave his wife a kiss and his sister a grin. Ashley and Karone moved forward and embraced Piper in a hug.

"How are you sweety?" Ashley asked kindly. Piper shrugged.

"Hating all the official stuff, but dealing," she told them with a wry grin. Ashley snickered.

"It takes a while to get used to," she agreed. "I kept tripping when I first got invited to join the Ladies."

Karone rolled her eyes but there was an amused smile on her face. She turned to her great niece. "Andros spoke with the Queen and we're to supply you with an adequate closet for your travels," she told her kindly. Piper blinked.

"You're here to make me clothes?" she asked for clarification and the two women nodded.

"You and the others, yeah," Ashley agreed. "Karone will work mostly with you while I get to do the others."

"I love my aunts!" she squealed, hugging them. Andros, Ashley, and Karone all grinned as several of the additional women tittered.

"Tyche, these are the Queen's Seamstresses," Karone said, motioning towards the group. "Niada, Euclea, Acacia, and Caryne will be with me and you while Brenna, Sadi, Valiah, and Quiss work with the others."

As Karone said each of their names, the woman curtsied. Piper gave them small smiles and raised an amused eyebrow when Caryne stepped forward.

"On behalf of the Seamstresses, it is an honor to meet you, Milady," she told her in a whisper. Piper smiled at her, hiding her annoyance at the subservience. She'd been raised to be independent and all the bowing and curtsies and awed cowering was grating on her nerves.

"The honor is mine, ladies," she told them quietly. "I look forward to working with you on my new wardrobe."

The woman all beamed at her. Karone stood up.

"So, shall we get started?" she asked. Piper's eyes widened.

"Now?!" she asked incredously. Karone snickered as four of the women moved around Piper. Ashley led the other women out the door, Andros with them. As Caryne started undoing the fastening on the back of her dress, Piper could only shoot the laughing Karone a harried look before succumbing.


	7. Chapter 7: Omega Squad

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.  
**A/N: **So….sorry this is so slow going. I've been having trouble remembering which fics I've updated and which ones I haven't. I have ten fics I'm in the middle of so…Sorry.

* * *

"Hey, Piper," Eli greeted her the next day. All seven teens had been too busy last night getting measurements and such done that they hadn't really had time to talk.

"New attendant?" she asked with a frown as a young boy trailed after Eli. The night before, in the middle of her measurements, three more women had joined them, claiming the Queen had assigned them to attend her daily needs. Piper wasn't happy she'd been given servants but after a look from Karone, had kept her mouth shut.

Eli nodded as Troy and Nikki joined them. A young girl and boy were following them as well. "Looks like all of us got one," he murmured as they made their way to the dining room. Piper snorted.

"I got three," she told him with a grimace. Eli looked back and saw a young woman with the other three attendants.

"Where are the other two?" Nikki asked curiously as they came to a set of stairs.

"I have no idea," she shrugged. "Caelia, what's up there?"

The young woman smiled at her. "The Astronomy Tower, milady," she replied. Piper's lips twitched as she looked up.

"Harry Potter anyone?" she quipped and the other three laughed. Caelia frowned as the three kids all exchanged confused looks.

"Harry Potter, milady?" Caelia inquired. Piper's lips twitched.

"Very _very_ popular book series back on Earth first published in the late 1990's," she told them.

"Sorcerers Stone was published in 1997," Nikki added. "The last book, Deathly Hallows, was published in 2007."

"Granddad took mom and my uncle to the last book release party Ernie helped host at the TOY Center," Piper grinned. "They were only a year old at the time."

"A lot of people did that, actually," Nikki told her. "They wanted their kids to be part of history."

"How do you know that?" Eli asked, confused. Troy rolled his eyes.

"Have you _seen_ her book collection?" he asked as Nikki blushed. "She has first editions of all the books not to mention all the special editions of the movies."

"I like Harry Potter," she admitted. Piper's eyes lit up.

"Did you bring the books with you?" she asked hopefully. "I kinda want to read them again."

"Yeah, they're on the Flyer, along with my movies," Nikki agreed. Piper grinned.

"Sweet!"

* * *

"So, this is the library?" Piper asked as the walked in. Caelia nodded.

"Yes milady," she murmured as a short, squat man hurried over. It took him a while as he kept bumping into tables and knocking books over.

"Lady Tyche, it is an honor!" he cried, grabbing her hand enthusiastically. Piper smiled at him slightly and he brightened. "I am Sir Nenan, Keeper of Records. The Ladies Dike, Cratus, and Aneris are already here. They have claimed one of the private research chambers."

"Please take us to them," she requested and he nodded.

"Of course milady," he agreed. "This way."

When they entered the chamber, Piper couldn't help but chuckle. All three girls were sitting around a table, data pads propped in front of them as they squabbled over the food set in the middle. Off to the side their attendants watched in amusement as they too read.

"Piper!" Claudia exclaimed happily, even as Ella snatched what appeared to be a fruit from her hand. "Hey!"

"Sorry Claud," she told her, taking a large bite. Claudia scowled.

"You most certainly are not," she scolded and Ella nodded.

"You're right, I'm not," she agreed, causing the seven attendants to all titter. Piper took a seat at the table and grabbed one of the pads.

"Anything yet?" she asked and the girls shook their heads.

"Nothing," Alycia told her with a sigh as she tossed the pad she'd been reading onto a growing pile in the center of the table.

"We found the legend of how it was founded, but we already knew that story," Ella added. "We still haven't found a location."

* * *

"Cadets," Andros greeted the seven teens as they walked in later that day. They'd skipped the palace lunch, opting to continue researching. Piper's servant Delia had come half an hour before to inform them Andros needed to speak to them immediately in his palace quarters. Despite the attendant's protests, the teens had cleaned up the research room before leaving.

"Hello, cadets," the familiar form of Doggie Cruger stepped into view, a smile on his face. On either side were Zordon of Eltar, Alpha 5, and Isinia.

"Supreme Commander Cruger," the teens nodded at him, straightening. Cruger waved a hand.

"At ease, cadets," he told them. "I trust you know everyone."

The group nodded respectively at Cruger's wife and the automaton. Piper grinned at the original Earth mentor.

"Hiya Grandpapa!" she chirped, causing Zordon to chuckle.

"Hello Tyche," he greeted her with a smile. "Nikki, Troy, Eli, Ella, Alycia, Claudia."

"So what's the what?" Piper asked, plopping down on a chair. Cruger chuckled and sat down as well.

"After discussing the situation with the SPD High Council and your parents, it's been decided that you are still officially, SPD cadets," Cruger informed them without hesitation.

"You're kidding!" Eli blurted out. "I thought cadets had to be on a planetary office, not gallivanting across the cosmos."

"Normally, that's correct," Cruger nodded. "However, this is a unique situation so the guidelines are being bent."

"How is this going to work?" Alycia asked curiously. Andros pulled out a stack of data pads.

"As of 0800 tomorrow, you will be known as the Omega Squad," he told them, handing the data pads out. "Officially, the leader is Troy, since he has more experience."

"And unofficially?" Troy asked knowingly as he accepted a pad. Andros smiled.

"Unofficially, it's Piper," he told them. "When you're planet side and working as Omega Squad, you refer to Troy. When you're either on your ship or working as Tyche and Protectors, you refer to Piper."

"Additionally, you have the highest clearance SPD has, Confidential Class 6," Cruger told them. "I'm you're only superior."

"Not Grandpa?" Piper asked surprised and Cruger shook his head.

"This way, you get preferential treatment," he told her and Piper nodded.

"I think we should have designations on the ship," Alycia suggested. "You know, since we're gonna have a crew and everything."

"I agree with Cadet Landors," Cruger said. "Additionally, we have a list of the crew you'll be taking on."

Piper accepted the data pad with the crew information. "Do we have to have them?" she asked and made a face when Cruger nodded.

"Yes, Cadet Tate, they're mandatory," he agreed. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"You're putting people I don't know onto my ship without my permission," Piper pointed out. "So, yeah, I'm a bit ticked off."

"They're staying, Cadet Tate, and that's final," Cruger informed her. Piper narrowed her eyes.

"What if I say no?" she asked him, ignoring the warning looks Troy was sending her. "The Elysian Flyer is my ship, not yours."

"Cadet Tate, the ship is the property of SPD--" he started but Zordon cut him off.

"It's not," he told the Sirian firmly. "Troy of Triforia had the ship built specifically for _Tyche_ and the ownership is in her name, not SPD's. Therefore you have no right _or_ jurisdiction to place SPD personnel onto her ship without her permission."

"Lord Zordon," Cruger began but the aging Eltarian cut him off again.

"I told you my opinion before on this matter, Commander Cruger," Zordon told him coolly. "_Tyche_ should be given the choice of whether or not she wants additional crew."

Piper wondered absently if she was the only one who noticed that Zordon kept stressing her name. Judging from Cruger's expression, she doubted it.

"Let her select her crew," Claudia said suddenly. "If you're so dead-set on her having a crew, let her choose the people."

"Cadet Chen," Cruger began but Piper cut him off this time.

"No, I agree with Claudia," she told him. "If I get to choose who goes onto my ship, I'll choose a crew of six people."

"Twelve," Cruger argued. Piper raised and eyebrow and crossed her arm.

"Six," she stood firm.

"Ten."

"Six."

"Ten, with two of them attendants."

"Six or I'll call Trey and tell him you're attempting to take over my ship with SPD personnel," she said coolly, an eyebrow raised. It was a well known fact that the Triforian King didn't like SPD; he thought they had too much influence on planetary governments. He had refused to allow SPD to purchase Triforian ships a few years previously, something that had pissed Cruger off. If it got out that Cruger was attempting to put SPD personnel on a private, Triforian made ship without the owners permission, Cruger could be booted as Supreme Commander by the Alliance of Good council.

Cruger huffed in annoyance. "Very well, six personnel," he agreed angrily. Piper smirked.

"I like you Commander, but this isn't your fight, it's mine, and I'd appreciate it if you leave me to do it," she told him coolly. "I've already lost the ability to choose my own clothes or speak the way I want to, I'm not letting you take over my ship as well.

"Additionally, I refuse to answer only to you," she added. "If you want us back as SPD, I want to answer to Zordon and ONLY Zordon."

"Now see here, cadet," he started but stopped suddenly when Piper abruptly changed in front of him.

"SILENCE!" Tyche commanded, her body glowing with an unearthly light. "My vessel is not a puppet for you to pull it strings, Anubis Cruger. Already, our life is changing due to the power and I will not allow us to become a weapon of yours."

"Cadet Tate," Cruger began but Zordon cut him off.

"Lady Tyche, I promise you that no one will control your mortal actions or mortal life anymore than it must be done for your safety," he said softly as Cruger's eyes widened in understanding. "If it is your wish, I will be the only one your mortal body answers to."

"It is our wish," Tyche agreed with a nod. She glared at the visibly shaking Sirian. "If you argue against us again, I will not hesitate to speak out against you and we both know who the citizens will side with, Supreme Commander."

With a flash of golden light, Piper's body returned to normal. She made a face as she opened her eyes. "Tyche took over, didn't she?" she asked Nikki who nodded.

"Oh yeah," the brunette agreed with a smirk. Eli, Ella, Alycia, Claudia, and Troy were grinning. Piper rolled her eyes and turned to Cruger.

"Well?" she asked testily.

"You will answer only to Zordon of Eltar," he agreed. He was a bit paler than normal and she had to wonder what Tyche had told him. She turned to Andros who had remained silent.

"Is there anything else? We have research to do," she asked. Andros shook his head.

"Get your crew list to me as soon as you can," he told her softly. "You're ship designations as well."

Piper nodded. "Good night, Uncle Andros, Grandpapa, Supreme Commander," she nodded to each as she stood up. With a swish of her skirt, she left the room.

Zordon waited until the teens were out before rounding on the Sirian. "You are walking on thin ice, Anubis," he informed him coldly. "As Tyche said before, this is her battle, not yours. When it comes down to it, she will be on the front line, alone but for her friends and family. You cannot run her life or dictate what she does."

"Tyche is a warrior of good," Cruger tried but Zordon cut him off.

"No, she is the Lady of Light, Daughter of the Lady Hemera and Lord Aether," he corrected him. "She has more power than you will ever know."

"And she needs a firm hand to keep that power in check!" Cruger argued. Zordon shook his head.

"I don't believe you understand, Anubis," he told him. "She answers to no one but herself."

"That's too dangerous," Cruger told him huffily. "She needs to answer to someone."

"If she was simply Piper Tate, I would agree with you," Zordon told him. "But she's not, she's Tyche; she is good personified. You cannot control that and it would be unwise to try."

"She threatened me!" he argued. Zordon shook his head.

"No, she _warned_ you," he told him softly. "Tyche's sole purpose in this life is to battle Apate, not to bend to the whims of us mere mortals. Do not try to control her, Anubis. You will not like the consequences."


	8. Chapter 8: Kerovian Ball

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Birthright  
**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.  
**Disclaimer:** I own no one.  
**Word Count:** 1,071  
**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.  
**A/N: **So….I know this isn't 2000 words but, what can I say? I tried?

* * *

"How many more people do I have to meet?" Piper murmured to her uncle as yet another Kerovian official moved away after kissing her hand. _//And why must all the men slobber on me?//_

Andros chuckled at her mental whine. The National Assembly had retired two hours before with nearly nothing decided. Now, due to Piper's visit, Queen Moriana had insisted on a ball to celebrate. _//Many of the royal planets have lifestyles similar to Earth's medieval times,// _he told her, keeping their conversation private as yet another member of the Low Councel approached._ //You might want to get used to it.//_

_//Yuck!//_ she sent back as the man left. Suddenly, Andros stiffened beside her. _//Uncle Andros?//_

"Lord Taynden, High Councilman," he introduced the man who approached them. He gave a forced smile. "Lord Taynden is also the SPD liaison to the royal family."

"A pleasure, Lady Tyche," Lord Taynden told her, kissing her hand briefly. Piper gave him a smile, wondering just why her uncle disliked the man. She found out a moment later when the man gave her an approving once-over, lingering a bit too long on certain body parts. She gave a shiver of distaste.

He motioned to the young man at his side, who appeared to be a younger version of the SPD Liaison. "May I introduce my son, Lord Tenari?" Piper gave the young man a polite smile as he gave her the same kind of look-over his father had.

"The honor, beautiful lady, is all mine," he told her in a velvety voice. Piper hid a grimace with another polite smile.

"Piper?"

Piper almost breathed a sigh of relief when her brother and Eli approached. "Eli, Troy," she greeted them with a bright smile, trying to ignore the scowl on Tenari's face.

"I don't believe we've met," Tenari butted in rudely, holding out a hand to Troy. The older Tate, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere, gave the man a smile.

"Troy Tate," he introduced himself. "I'm Tyche's mortal big brother and formerly a ranger of Earth."

_Maybe he's not as oblivious as he appears_, Piper thought in amusement when Tenari winced from the grip Troy was giving him.

"Well then, that means you're the grandson of Tommy Oliver!" a high pitch girl's voice broke out. The group turned to a young woman who smiled coquettishly at her brother. Piper rolled her eyes at the puffed up expression on her brother's face.

"Where's Nikki?" she asked pointedly. Troy froze a moment, eyes wide as he realized what he'd been doing. Eli snickered from Piper's side as the former blue SPD ranger hastily excused himself and hurried to the corner where Ella, Claudia, Alycia, and Nikki were talking with the Prince and Princess.

"Was it something I said?" the young woman inquired. Piper shook her head with a giggle..

"No, he just realized flirting with other women will not endear him to his girlfriend," she told her honestly. The girl nodded, looking resigned.

"So he's taken?" she asked and Piper nodded, motioning to the group in the corner. Troy had his arm around Nikki's waste, completely oblivious to the amused looks Nikki kept sending him as he spoke with the Prince. The young woman sighed. "Too bad."

"And you are?" Tenari butted in again, angry at being left out. Piper and Eli exchanged looks when the young woman rolled her eyes.

"My name is Elijah Carson," Eli introduced himself. Tenari looked unimpressed. "I'm the Host for Prometheus and Piper's boyfriend."

Piper looked at him out of the corner of her eye as Tenari's face tightened and the young woman giggled into her hand. _//Since when?//_ she demanded mentally. Eli glanced at her before smiling at the silently seething man in front of them.

_//Would you rather I leave you to this snake?//_ he asked mildly as he started chatting with the angered young man. Piper blinked a bit before snorting mentally.

_//Thank you,//_ she told him before turning to the young woman. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Lady Tyche but you can call me Piper."

"Lady Kalea," she introduced herself. "I'm one of Princess Camea's Ladies; my father is Lord Alstoin."

"Ahh," she murmured, trying to picture this friendly, sweet girl as the overbearing man's daughter. The image just didn't compute.

"I take after my mother," Kalea told her knowingly. Piper grinned at her and the two began chatting.

* * *

"Alright, I'm exhausted," Piper announced about two hours later. She had no idea what time it was since Earth and Kerovian hours weren't the same but she knew it was late.

"I agree, Piper," Kalea agreed, hiding a yawn herself. "I think it's about time all of us retire."

The two were sitting down in one of the corners with Eli, Nikki, Ella, Alycia, Troy, Claudia, Prince Kellan, Princess Camea, two fo the Prince's Lords, Sir Alcaoin and Lord Declan, and the other two members of the Princess' ladies, Lady Thana and Lady Thera. Tenari had joined them at first but it became very obvious very quickly that he was not well liked by the royal and noble teens and had left.

"Good night, ladies," Prince Kellan said, bowing and giving the girls a charming smile. Piper snickered quietly as Camea smacked him and dragged him to the Royal Wing of the palace. Saying goodbye to the others, Piper, Eli, Ella, Troy, Nikki, Claudia, and Alycia left to the guest rooms they'd been given. Saying goodnight to the others, Eli went with Piper to her room.

Once inside, the young woman flopped on her bed. "That was…different."

"It was weird," Eli added, sitting down on one of the couches. Piper leaned up on her arms to look at him. He frowned. "They were so…formal."

"Its obvious we're not on Earth anymore," she agreed with a yawn. Eli smiled at her.

"I'll leave you to it then," he agreed as a hidden door opened and Delia poked her head out.

"I have your sleeping clothes, milady," she told her. Eli shot to his feet as the young woman looked at him in amusement.

"That's my cue to skedaddle," he quipped and quickly left. Delia giggled.

"I found it."

Piper looked over at the softly spoken exclamation. "Claud?" she asked. The smaller girl looked up, a bright smile on her lips as everyone turned to her.

"I found it," she told them. "I found the temple."


	9. Chapter 9: Our Mission

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate

**Story:** Birthright

**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.

**A/N: **So….in order to get this done, I have chosen to do this fic for NaNoWriMo. One chapter a day, with roughly 2,000 words each chapter. Let's see how I do, yeah?

* * *

"Tyche, are you sure you cannot stay longer?" the queen asked, standing in her doorway. Piper looked up, an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but we need to move quickly," she told her. Moriana nodded in understanding. She watched Piper pack up her clothes, the three handmaidens helping as much as she would allow.

"Piper, if you can spare a moment, I have something to show you," she spoke up. Piper froze; the queen had never called her by her real name before. Straightening, she nodded and moved with her.

"Can you call your warriors, please?" she requested and Piper did so. Within minutes, Ella, Eli, Alycia, and Claudia were there.

"What now?" Piper asked politely. Moriana motioned for them to follow her.

"What's going on?" Eli whispered as they made there way out of the palace and onto the grounds. Piper shrugged.

"Don't know," she admitted as a building came into view, one she hadn't noticed before. As they followed the queen in, Piper suddenly realized what the building was.

"A smithy!" she exclaimed and Moriana nodded.

"All the royal metal-works are made here," she agreed, motioning to several people making various metal things. "Come," she ordered, moving to a door in the back. A large man stood up as they approached.

"Your Majesty," he greeted his queen before turning to the teens. His eyes widened as he realized who they were. "Lady Tyche, Protectors, it is an honor."

"I need the commission I made four weeks ago, Teron," the queen said. Teron's eyes widened again and he nodded, suddenly looking bashful, leaving Piper thoroughly confused. Following the man and Queen, they found themselves in a back room. Weapons were everywhere-bows, arrows, staffs, swords, daggers. Eli suddenly elbowed Piper and she snapped to what he was looking at.

There, laid out on a table were seven weapons, a gold cloth underneath. Piper's breath caught.

"That's the symbol of Omega," she whispered, moving forward to study the sword and shield in gold. "My symbol."

The queen nodded. "After speaking with Commander Andros and Lord Zordon, I commissioned these weapons for you and your protectors as a gift. The sword and shield are solely yours, Lady Tyche but the other five are to be separated between your Protectors."

Piper looked up and saw the four teens looking gleeful. The five of them had always enjoyed the ancient weapons classes they had taken last year and these weapons were much better than the wooden ones they'd been forced to practice with. The queen chuckled at their expressions.

"Call on the power of your Warrior and you'll know which one is meant for you," Zordon's voice said behind them. The teens, not surprised at the Mage's presence, all nodded. Piper, Moriana, and Teron moved to stand by Zordon as the four teens each began glowing a faint color.

Eli chose first, reaching out and plucking a shiny double ended sword staff from the table. With a brilliant flash of red, the blades turned a bright red. Eli opened his eyes, smiling as he held the weapon in hand.

Claudia was next. Without even looking at the other weapons, she plucked up a double ended trident that when set up against her body, was taller than her. A flash of blue lit up the room and the staff portion of the weapon turned a deep blue, with the trident blades themselves gold. Pleased, she moved back to the group.

Ella grinned ferally and picked up a staff with knobs at the end. She twirled it once as a flash of light engulfed her. When it faded, the staff portion was yellow, with the knobs and middle hands gold. She moved back so Alycia could choose.

The girl didn't hesitate; reaching over the table, she picked up a staff with dagger blades on each end. Grinning, she grasped it in hand as a flash of light revealed the staff portion had turned pink, with the blades and hand-grasps gold. Piper then moved forward, studying the final weapon on the table.

Held together by a short chain were two swords, there blades double-edged. Piper smiled and gently touched the weapon. A brilliant flash of light lit up and the blades turned green with the handles and chain gold. Moriana raised an eyebrow as Claudia nodded in sudden understanding.

"That one's Cybelle's, isn't it?" she asked softly as Piper turned around. She nodded and turned to Moriana.

"Eventually, I'll have a fifth protector, Cybelle, Warrior or Retribution," she explained and Moriana nodded her understanding.

"Take it with you then," she told her. "When you find her, it's hers."

Piper smiled. "I already know who Cybelle's going to be," she told them quietly. The four teens started but Zordon beamed proudly at her. He'd wondered if she had figured it out.

"Who?" Eli asked bewildered. Piper smiled.

"Nikki," she told her. "You didn't notice how all the clothes she got recently are all green?"

Eli, Ella, and Alycia blinked at her but Claudia giggled. "If that's not a sign, I don't know what is," she said with a smirk. "After all, all my clothes are now blue, much to granddaddy's glee."

Piper and Zordon both chuckled. Moriana raised an eyebrow. "I take it your grandfather was a blue ranger?" she inquired and Claudia nodded.

"Dad's dad was the Blue Galaxy Ranger who defeated Trakeena," she told her proudly. "And my mom's parents were the first Pink Galaxy Ranger and the Red Galaxy Ranger."

Moriana nodded, smiling. "You _should_ be proud then," she agreed before turning to the other three. "And you?"

"Our parents were the Green and Yellow SPD Rangers who defeated Gruumm," Ella told her with a grin, motioning between herself and Eli. "And Alycia's parents were the red and pink rangers on the team."

Alycia nodded. "And you already know Piper's heritage," she added with a grin. Moriana's lips twitched as she nodded the affirmative. Piper turned to Teron.

"Thank you, Teron," she told him. "These are wonderful."

Teron beamed at her. "It's an honor, milady," he told her proudly. "I can't wait to tell my children that Lady Tyche and her Protectors are using the weapons I created."

Piper giggled.

* * *

"Piper, can I come in?"

The group of teens looked up from where they had been talking on Piper's bed. Due to a storm, the group wouldn't be leaving until the next day.

"Come in!" Piper called out and her Uncles Andros and Zhane and Aunts Ashley and Karone came in. Piper eyed the boxes in their arms. "What's up?"

"Gifts from your parents, Tommy, and Kat," Andros told her, handing her one of the boxes. The teens eyes lit up as they each accepted a box, including a surprised looking Nikki.

"They're uniforms!" Alycia exclaimed, holding the cloth against herself. Piper blinked.

The design was just like their parents old B-Squad uniforms, only the colors were different. Instead of being primarily dark grey, the majority of the uniform was white with gold lining. In place of the SPD badge was an embroidered Omega symbol and where her parents' had color on their uniforms, each teen had black.

"Omega Squad," Troy grinned, fingering the embroidered symbol. Piper smiled and got up to hug her uncle.

"Thanks for getting these to us," she told him. She felt him smile into her hair. Like her mother, she'd always been amazingly close to the former Kerovian Red Ranger. She'd heard from her granddad that Andros had to be physically restrained from flying to Earth when he'd found out she'd been in a coma.

"No problem, Pipe," he told her. He leaned back to look into her face. "By the way, the crew you selected are already on board the Station but Commander Mavel said they had to wait for you before they can board."

Piper nodded. "Thanks."

* * *

"You guys ready?" Piper asked. They were standing in the royal shuttle of KO-35. They'd said goodbye privately to the royal family back planet-side. Now, they were docked at the space station waiting to board and go to the Flyer.

"Let's do this," Alycia murmured, adjusting her skirt. All seven of the teens were dressed in their new uniforms. Strapped to their wrists were communicators like the originals had used and clipped to their waists were judgement scanners; both items had been included in each box.

The door slid open and one by one they marched out. Those on the docking ports stopped and stared as the seven teens made their way to where Commander Mavel, Commander Dante, Supreme Commander Cruger, Lord Zordon of Eltar, Alpha 5, and the crew she had personally chosen stood waiting. Once in a line facing the officers, the six teens on either side of her saluted at the adults while Piper merely nodded her head; as Aunt Karone had told her last night, she was still Tyche, uniform or not, and she had to remember that when in public which meant she didn't need to salute.

"Lady Tyche, are you prepared for you mission?" Zordon asked quietly, his voice carrying. Piper nodded.

"I am," she replied firmly. Zordon smiled in approval.

"Omega Squad, you have a go," Cruger said, his voice hard. Piper barely spared him a glance before nodding.

"Yes sir," she replied, staring instead at Andros. He nodded at her and she turned to the Space Station commander. "Please allow my crew to ready for departure."

He nodded and motioned for the six men and women to go. "Safe journey's," he said, saluting her. Piper nodded back and as one, the teens turned and followed the crew to the port where the Flyer was waiting. Without looking back, Piper moved into the ship and towards the lift, her friends, Zordon, and Alpha following.

The crew were already at the stations she'd assigned them, waiting, when they arrived. Seeing the Captain's chair was empty, she nodded for Troy and Eli to follow her. She motioned for the two crew member sitting in the seats on either side of her chair to move. Once everyone was situated, Piper sat down.

Though she appeared calm and collected, inside she was shaking like a leaf. She really hated all this formality and the first chance she had, she would be having a long talk with her new crew.

"Mister Roland, do we have a go?" she called to the man sitting at the pilots' chair. He didn't turn but she saw him nod at her reflection on the viewing screen. Inwardly, she thanked Hemera she had remembered the man's name.

"We do, milady," he replied. Piper stared at the screen for a moment, stealing herself for what she was about to embark on, what she was about to pull her friends and these strangers into. Finally, she nodded.

"Then engage."

* * *

"Alright you lot, listen up!"

Everyone turned to Piper. Once they were an hour away from KO-35, Piper had called for a Roland to stop.

"I am NOT going to deal with bullshit politics on board," she told them firmly. "My name is Piper or Captain, not milady or Lady Tyche, or Tyche. I hate the formality and won't have it on my ship."

The crew looked, for the most part, startled at her announcement. Roland, however, had relaxed against his seat and she could have sworn she heard him mutter "thank Eru" under his breath.

"Due to safety concerns, none of you will be going down to any of the planets with us," she informed them. "Your job is to keep my ship running and to help us in case of emergencies, understood?"

Affirmatives rang out across the room. She smiled. "Good," she said. "Now all of you have private quarters down in what used to be the shuttle bay. Zordon, Alpha, myself, and my protectors have our own rooms and living areas on level three. You're welcome to visit us but all private quarters are off limits unless I or Zordon say otherwise. "

"Captain, what is our mission?" Mera, a healer asked from where she was standing next to Alycia. Piper smiled wryly.

"Lady Hemera hid crystals throughout the cosmos," she told them. She paused a moment before finishing. "We're going to find them before Apate does.


	10. Chapter 10: Kerova

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate

**Story:** Birthright

**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy. Releasing Apate was only the beginning...

**A/N: **So….in order to get this done, I have chosen to do this fic for NaNoWriMo. One chapter a day, with roughly 2,000 words each chapter. Let's see how I do, yeah?

* * *

"Are you sure it was a good idea to tell them about the crystals?" Troy asked quietly. He'd just followed his sister into her private office just off the bridge. Piper sat down at the desk and shrugged.

"They'll find out eventually," she told him. "Besides, it's better to be upfront and honest with them than they sneak around to try and determine what we're doing."

"True," he agreed. "But maybe you should have waited a bit?"

"Maybe but doubtful," she shrugged. "Either way, I'm not too worried. I chose them using Tyche's powers so I know they're all honest good people who won't betray us."

"You probably shouldn't have done that without their permission, Piper," Troy told her disapprovingly. She snorted.

"You worry too much," she told him with a smirk. "Besides, Zordon told me to."

"Well if Zordon told you to…" he trailed off, still looking uncertain. She rolled her eyes.

"If you can't trust our great grand-dad, can you at least trust me?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I can," he told her. "And he's not our great granddad."

"I beg to differ," she told him haughtily. He frowned. "Granddad considers him a second father therefore, he's our great granddad."

"You think oddly," he told her, shaking his head. She smirked.

"You've known me all my life and you're just now figuring this out?"

* * *

"Captain, we're here," Roland announced. Piper looked up from the data-pad she'd been reading to look at him blankly.

"Huh?" she asked before his words registered. "Oh! Right! Go into orbit around Kerova."

"Yes ma'am," Roland said, his lips twitching. Piper turned to Troy. "You'll be in control while we're on a little away mission."

"We're?" he asked curiously, not batting an eye at the fact she was about to go down to a desolate planet.

"Nikki, Eli, Ella, Claud, and Alycia," she told him. "And don't worry about the breathing thing—I have that covered."

"Are you sure, Captain?" Mera asked worriedly. "The planet is still uninhabitable—no oxygen to speak of."

"I'm sure," she told her with a grin. Everret, the weapon specialist, looked at her warily.

"Why does that grin scare me?" he whispered to Eli. Eli snorted.

"Because you're a smart man."

* * *

"I think Everett had a point," Alycia muttered, staring down at her body. She was dressed head to toe in pink, skintight outfit, an black oxygen tank strapped to her back, a black belt with various instruments and weapons, and a black collar around her neck. Once Piper gave the order, each of the teens would press a button on the side of their neck that created an invisible helmet that contorted to the shape of the wearers head so that it looked like they weren't wearing a helmet at all. The six teens were standing in the medical bay, Mera helping the others adjust their tanks.

Around her, each of the teens had the same uniform only in differing colors. Catching sight of Piper in a white and gold version of the outfit she saw Eli suddenly smirked.

"It has its perks," he murmured, eyeing her. The girls all rolled their eyes.

"I look like a bumblebee," Ella grumbled, checking her tank again. Eli snickered.

"At least you don't have to worry about getting all the white dirty," Piper muttered. "Why did I allow Uncle Andros to color code these again?"

"So Eli wouldn't accidentally get into yours?" Nikki suggested, adjusting her tank. Nikki, Alycia, Ella, Claudia, and Piper all paused a moment before they abruptly burst into giggles. Mera simply smirked in amusement.

"You ladies done?" Eli asked with a sigh. Piper nodded even as another snort erupted from Ella. Eli rolled his eyes and motioned for them to get ready. "Come on, the Temple's waiting."

"The Temple is an inanimate object—a building," Alycia told him with a sigh. "It cannot _wait_."

"It's a figure of speech," Eli informed her.

"I nearly flunked English," she reminded him and he rolled his eyes.

"Can we go now?"

"Alright, turn on your helmets," Piper ordered and each of the six pressed the button on the side of their neck. Alycia and Mera moved through each of the teens, making sure the helmets were working correctly and they could breathe. Once certain none of them would die of asphyxiation, they teleported to the location Claudia had found.

"Wow," Alycia commented. "Queen Moriana wasn't wrong; this place is insane."

"No kidding," Ella commented, holding up a scanner.

There was nothing but rubble and ruins; the air itself was heavy and dark, filled with dangerous gases that would kill anyone without a fully sealed space suit. They couldn't really see the sky, partly due to the gases and partly because Kerova no longer had a sky—the ozone had been completely decimated. The two orbiting moons were hazy above them—the automated environmental station that kept a constant eye on the Kerovian home-world was a vague outline in the distance, despite the station being less than half a mile away.

"Come on, the Temple should be over here," Eli said, motioning. The group moved as one, keeping an eye on each other as they bounced along.

"Gravities different," Nikki noted and Piper nodded.

"Dark Specters' destruction of Kerova was thorough," she told them. "Everything that could be destroyed to make this place uninhabitable was done."

"He killed over a hundred thousand civilians in the initial attack," Claudia added. "And thousands more during the subsequent war."

"That's why there's so few Kerovians," Piper sighed. "Before the initial attack, they had about seven billion citizens living on the planet and another half a million or so elsewhere. Now, they have about ten thousand and that's only after sixty years of reproducing."

"How do you two know all this?" Alycia asked curiously.

"Pi and I researched the war when we realized what Tyche would have to do," Claudia answered. She made a face. "Well, actually, I did most of the research and Piper mostly just complained."

"I did not!" Piper argued. "I was, was…okay I was complaining."

"Here we are," Eli spoke up as the laughter faded. "We're on the outskirts of the original Temple Moriana's great great great…whatever grandmother built after Hemera and Aether stopped by."

"According to the records it was originally built with wood," Claudia told them as they hovered. "It was destroyed in a fire about six hundred years later and rebuilt with stone."

"Fire bad, stone pretty," Ella quipped.

"How's everyone's oxygen?" Piper called out.

"I'm at 90%," Eli reported and the girls all agreed. Piper nodded.

"Good," she said. "Alright, I have no idea what's going to happen when I get to the center of the Temple so I only want Eli with me."

"What about us?" Nikki asked quietly and Piper looked around.

"Keep an eye out and keep in contact," she ordered. "It would be very easy for Apate or someone to sneak up on us."

"Got it," Nikki agreed readily. Piper smiled at her and then turned to Eli.

"Ready?"

At his nod, the two stepped forward, tentively moving around the various rubble but continuously moving in the same direction.

"We should be reaching the center in another few steps," Eli told her just before running into something.

"Eli, you okay?" Piper asked worriedly as she helped the boy up.

"What _was_ that?" he demanded, staring ahead. Piper frowned, gently running a hand through the area he hit. Sparks lit up her arm but otherwise she was fine.

"Maybe I'm supposed to go alone," she said quietly. Eli frowned, running a hand along the same surface. He was shocked for his curiosity.

"Or maybe it doesn't recognize me as a friend," he replied quietly.

"Uh, guys?"

Piper and Eli both paused at the crackle filled sound of Ella's voice. "What is it, what's wrong?" the white clad young woman demanded.

"We got trouble," Claudia answered, sounding out of breath. "They look like giant black spider people—they're shooting webbing from their hands."

Eli and Piper exchanged panicked looks.

"They have freakin wings!" Nikki snapped. "I don't think that's very spidery!"

"Spidery?" Alycia asked, grunting.

"I've been hanging out with Piper too much," Nikki grumbled. "I'm starting to talk like her!"

"Hey!" Piper exclaimed. Eli bit his lip as they listened.

"Fine, spidery bat people!" Claudia said.

"Will you three focus?!" Ella snapped. "I'd rather not get stuck in that sticky white stuff the chicks are shooting!"

"How do you know they're females?" Claudia asked curiously, followed by a whoosh of air.

"CLAUDIA!"

"Sorry, sorry, I'll shut up."

"Power up!" Eli suddenly yelled. "Call on the Protectors!"

"Small problem with that," Nikki said, sounding out of breath. "I'm not a freakin Protector!"

"Do what you can," Piper told her. "Eli and I found the center and we're going in."

"Piper, I got thrown back when I tried!" Eli reminded her as they felt and heard Aneris, Cratus, and Dike show up. Nikki was muttering murderously under her breath about stupid people and something about hating bats and spiders.

"Come on," Piper tugged on his arm and without giving herself the time to think about what she was about to do, dove through the barrier, her hand firmly holding Eli's.

A bright light lit the area so that even the three protectors and Nikki could see. "Piper, Eli?" Nikki asked quietly, moving to relative safety behind Cratus. Neither teen answered.


	11. Chapter 11: Healing Fire

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate

**Story:** Birthright

**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy.

**A/N: **So….in order to get this done, I have chosen to do this fic for NaNoWriMo. One chapter a day, with roughly 2,000 words each chapter. Let's see how I do, yeah?

* * *

"Woah."

"You can say that again."

"Woah."

"Very funny," Eli muttered, staring around in awe. They were standing in the middle of a Temple, lit by smokeless torches on the walls. Gauzy strips of cloth hung from the walls, embroidery showing various scenes. Standing in the center was a beautiful woman, her hair the same blonde shade of Tyche's.

"Lady Hemera?" Piper asked hesitantly. The woman smiled, pleased.

"A shadow of her, nothing more," she told her. "Hemera is gone from this realm."

"A shadow?" Eli asked. "Isn't that kinda…bad sounding?"

"Possibly," Shadow-Hemera agreed. "But shadows are neutral—they can be both evil and good."

"Good to know," Eli replied faintly. Shadow-Hemera's lips twitched.

"I can sense that Prometheus lies within you," Shadow-Hemera told Eli. "May he please come out?"

Eli frowned but agreed. Shadow-Hemera and Piper watched as his eyes turned a vibrant red. "Lady Hemera, Lady Tyche," he greeted them, his voice deeper. "It is an honor, as always."

"Good to see you safe, Prometheus," she greeted back as Piper nodded uncomfortably. Shadow-Hemera turned to Piper.

"Now for your trial."

"Trial?" she squeaked. "No one said anything about a trial!"

"Surely you did not assume I would merely hand over the crystal?" Shadow-Hemera asked, her eyes brow raised. Piper made a face.

"No…" she sighed. "But I could hope."

Shadow-Hemera's lips twitched. "Stand in the circle," she instructed as a circle glowed into existence on the floor. Piper made a face and stepped inside. Flames lit up around her, making her flinch.

"Now what?" she asked, watching Prometheus and Shadow-Hemera through the flames.

"Fire is the most destructive of the elements," Shadow-Hemera intoned. "It eats without mercy, without thought. You must make a choice. Destroy that which destroys without consequence or let the fire consume you. Make your choice carefully."

Piper gaped at her. "Live or die, that's what you're saying?" she demanded with another squeak. Shadow-Hemera nodded solemnly.

"Remember the nature of fire and make your choice."

Piper swallowed, looking at the flames warily. She realized with a start that the circle of fire was closing in on her, moving towards her. She had to make her choice quickly.

Closing her eyes, she called on the power of Tyche as she'd learned to do this summer. It was still difficult, despite the many meditation sessions she'd done. And it was harder now, with the fire so close she could almost feel her body burning. Suddenly, something hit her and she frowned. Looking around, her body floating, she knew without a doubt she could squash the fire in her fist, stopping it from destroying her. She paused at that thought.

"But that would be wrong," she whispered to herself. She remembered something her uncle JD had told her once. "'Fire is destructive but it also promotes growth and life. The sun allowed life to form and the sun is fire so fire is life.'"

Swallowing thickly, she opened her eyes and let Tyche's power fade from her. She gritted her teeth as the fire rushed in, no longer held back by her power. With a scream, she felt her skin burning as everything melted away.

"Congratulations."

Piper cracked her eyes open, wondering when she had closed them in the first place. Shadow-Hemera and Prometheus were smiling at her. She looked down, eyeing her sooty uniform warily. The circle of fire was gone.

"What happened?"

"You made the right choice," Shadow-Hemera told her with approval. "Fire may be the most destructive element in the cosmos but it is also a powerful life-giver. When you allowed the fire to burn you, you accepted that fire can create _and_ destroy. It is not evil, nor is it good. It is balanced between the two, as all things in life must be. And that is a worthy lesson to know."

"Thank you," she murmured. "Though I could have done without the burning part."

Shadow-Hemera's lips twitched. "That too was a lesson—you have now felt what those you have sworn to protect will face if you fail to destroy Apate."

"Thanks…I think."

"Here," Shadow-Hemera said, waving an arm. A stone pillar appeared in the center of the room. Prometheus and Piper smiled at the deep red crystal imbedded in it.

"Thank you," Piper told Shadow-Hemera. The woman smiled.

"You will have to take the pillar with you as well," she cautioned when she and her protector moved forward. "Only the one it is destined for can remove it."

"Like the Galaxy sabers?" Piper asked and Shadow-Hemera nodded.

"Exactly like."

"I can't carry that out of here," she told her and Shadow-Hemera shook her head.

"You won't have to," she told her. "When you step from this place, the Temple shall be restored to its former glory."

"Uh, maybe you haven't been keeping tabs on Kerova, but it's kinda dead now. No one lives here," she told her. "No one _can_ live here."

"You shall see," was all Shadow-Hemera said as she dissolved. Piper blinked as she felt the Temple reappear on the mortal plane and Prometheus left her sorta-boyfriend. The air was hazy around them and she could hear the four girls talking and grunting as they fought, indicating the Temple really was back in place on the planets surface.

She stood there with Eli, trying to decide if she should go help her friends who were apparently still fighting the spider-bat people or if she should get the crystal and pillar back to the ship.

"Uh, Pipe?" Eli asked and Piper looked up.

"What?" she asked just before noticing the gases seemed to be clearing. She frowned.

"What the hell…?"

"It's coming from the pillar!" Eli said, staring. Piper turned around; sure enough, a soft pulsing red light was issuing from the crystals in waves.

"Is it doing what I think its doing?" Piper asked, her voice hushed. Eli nodded, not able to speak as they watched the crystals energy waves clean the air.

"Holy shit," Piper muttered, watching as the waves increased in strength and speed. Within minutes, the two teens could see the battle the four girls were fighting through a well-placed window.

As the energy flowed through the Protectors, they each de-powered back to Claudia, Ella, Alycia, and Nikki, who'd apparently connected with Cybelle while Piper had been tested. Piper watched in awe as the Spider-Bat footmen screamed and burst apart as the energy flew through them as well. "I don't think the crystal likes Spider-Bat people."

"We have got to get another name for them," Eli muttered as the girls made there way to the building.

"Woah," Claudia muttered as she stepped inside, Ella right behind her. Alycia was already scanning the temple.

"Oh my god," she muttered, turning to Piper. "There's oxygen now!"

"That would explain the vegetation growing outside," Ella said, pointing out the window. The Quints all crowded around her to see trees, grass, flowers, bushes, and various other items growing as the waves spread across the surface of the planet. Piper frowned, turning. Nikki was standing hesitantly in the doorway of the Temple center.

"Nikki, you can come in," she told her with a soft smile. The former pink ranger let out a deep breath and hesitantly stepped forward. When nothing happened, she stepped in fully, looking around warily.

"Shadow-Hemera's gone," Piper told her.

"Shadow-Hemera?" Nikki asked, starting. Piper nodded, going to stand by the pillar.

"A shadow left over by Hemera so I could be _tested_," she told them with a grimace.

"You passed?" Ella asked.

"Obviously," Alycia answered, motioning around. "The air's breathable now."

She paused. "What's everyone's oxygen at?"

The teens checked. "43%," Claudia answered. "The fight took a lot out of me—literally."

"I'm at 42%," Nikki answered.

"45%."

"Ditto," Ella and Alycia said.

"Huh," Eli muttered. "I'm only at 70."

"86%, here," Piper answered. "But I think that was more Tyche and Shadow-Hemera's doing."

"Probably," Alycia agreed.

"I don't think we can take this until it's done doing what its doing," Piper told them.

"Do we have to take the pillar?" Ella asked, moving to stand by her friend. Piper and Eli nodded.

"Shadow-Hemera said the crystal is like the galaxy sabers," the red clad man told them, glancing at Claudia. "They can only be removed by those destined to do it."

"It's probably Eli," Nikki said, staring at the crystal. Everyone turned to her, confused. She frowned. "What?"

"What makes you think it's me?" he asked, confused. She motioned to the crystal.

"It's red," she shrugged. The girls appeared confused but Piper's eyes lit with understanding.

"Of course," she breathed. "The crystals are meant for the Protectors. That's why each Protector has a different color."

"Exactly," Nikki agreed. "By the way, did you know about Cybelle?"

Piper grinned at her. "I suspected," she admitted. "But I wasn't going to say anything until I knew for sure."

Nikki huffed. "You couldn't have at least warned me?" she asked. "I was just about to cut off the head of one of those spider-bat people with a borrowed sword when she talked in my head!"

"We have got to get a different name for those things," Claudia muttered as Piper gave the green protector a sheepish apology.

"What about Spidrens'?" Ella suggested with a grin.

"We could, but then we'd have to deal with copyright," Eli told them dryly. Claudia, Alycia, Piper, and Nikki looked at them, confused while Ella simply pouted. "Spidrens' are from those fantasy books Ella's so obsessed with."

"I say Spi-Bats," Claudia suggested once the snickers died down. Alycia nodded.

"I like it," she agreed as the others agreed.

"Spi-Bats it is," Piper sighed.

"I think it's done," Alycia said, motioning to the crystal. It was still; no more waves were issuing from it and the pulsing red light was gone. "I think we can take it back to the ship now."

"Got it," Claudia said, pulling a bundle of what appeared to be poles from her hip bag. They all watched as she assembled them into an octagon and a faint white-blue tint appeared.

"It's a portable anti-gravity unit," she told them, motioning for help in moving the pillar onto the thing. "My grandfather made it."

"Explains the blue," Piper quipped, moving with Nikki and Eli to try and grab it. Suddenly, hand-holds burst from the stone in front of the three teens, startling them. They all stared at the thing a moment.

"Thank you," Piper muttered, looking around the Temple as she reached for her hand-holds. Shaking their heads, Eli and Nikki grasped the pillar. Once the stone and crystal was on the floating disk, the teens moved out.

"They're gonna have to do a lot of rebuilding," Ella noted as they moved through what they were assuming were Temple Gardens.

"The Temple's the only building rebuilt," Nikki agreed. "But I'm not sure how many people will actually return—they seem happy on KO-35."

"It'll probably become their spiritual center," Piper told them. "They still worship Hemera to an extent—this is only going to strengthen that."

"They'll probably throw you in there too," Ella said. "After all, you braved the deadly fumes to go to the Temple and when you passed your test, the Temple reappeared and Hemera restored the planet."

"She's got a point," Eli agreed, making Piper groan.

"_Wonderful_."


	12. Chapter 12: Celebrations

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate

**Story:** Birthright

**Pairings: **Piper/Eli, Claudia/Kelson, Nikki/Troy, Sky/Aimee, Tommy/Kat M.

**Disclaimer:** I own no one.

**Summery:** Second in the Heritage Trilogy. Releasing Apate was only the beginning...

**A/N: **So….in order to get this done, I have chosen to do this fic for NaNoWriMo. One chapter a day, with roughly 2,000 words each chapter. Let's see how I do, yeah?

* * *

When they returned to the ship, they were welcomed by a frantic and awed crew.

"The entire planet's been restored to how it was before Dark Spector destroyed it," Linnea, the operations officer, told them as Mera scanned each of the girls, finally out of the suits. Eli was working with Seran, the security expert, and Alpha to get the pillar in their power vault. Zordon beamed from where he was sitting next to Piper.

"You did a good thing here, Piper," he told her. Piper gave him a confused look.

"All I did was pass the test—it was the crystal and Shadow-Hemera that did all the work," she told him. He raised an eyebrow, something he'd picked up from his children.

"But you passed the test which led to this," he told her, waving a hand out the port-hole. Piper glanced through, a small smile on her face. Instead of the murky brown it used to be, the planet now was blue, green, and white; it was healthy again.

* * *

"They seem ecstatic," Nikki said, sipping her drink. The six crew members were celebrating the restoration of their home-world, where their grandparents had all been born. Piper smiled.

"They do," she agreed. "I just wish they'd stop thanking me."

Piper looked around; Eli and Troy were talking with Everett, Roland, and Zordon while Alycia was speaking with Mera. Jilan, the engineer, Alpha, and Ella seemed deep in discussion about something in the corner, while Claudia sat with Linnea and Seran.

"Come on, I have something for you," Piper said, tossing her cup in the trash bin. Nikki gulped down the rest of her own drink and followed.

"I really am sorry about not telling you about Cybelle," she apologized as they entered the lift. Nikki made a face.

"It's okay, I should have suspected it myself," she told her. Piper smirked.

"Yeah, you really should have with all the green," she teased. Nikki huffed.

"I assumed it was my guilt associating green with being formerly evil," she muttered. Piper snickered.

"My grand-dad would have something to say about that," she told her. "Just don't ask me what."

"So what's the what?" Nikki asked, when they finally got to the oldest Tate daughter's room. Piper motioned for her to stay and rummaged in her wardrobe. Finally, she pulled out a long box.

"Here," she told her. "Each of the others has one; this is for you."

"What is it?" Nikki asked, accepting the box with a surprised grunt at the weight. Piper grinned.

"A weapon."

Nikki's eyes lit up and she gently opened the case. Inside, nestled on a gold and green accented clothe, was the weapon Piper had kept for Cybelle and whoever her host would be. Nikki slowly smiled and picked up the weapon, inspecting it. She looked up at Piper.

"Thank you," she told her sincerely. Piper grinned.

"No problem."

* * *

If they thought the celebration on the ship was something, they weren't prepared for the reaction of the Kerovians when they finally got back to KO-35.

Piper stepped onto the space station and nearly ran back to her ship. The entire docking area was crowded with people, joy on their faces. The moment she stepped into the light, they started yelling and cheering, tears in the older people's eyes. Commander Mavel approached, a bright flower on his uniform.

"Thank you," he told her seriously once the crowd calmed down. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you."

* * *

"We're already planning on moving those who want to go," Queen Moriana told her at dinner that night. The Queen had arranged a celebration in Tyche's name in honor of the restoration of the Kerovian home-world. Piper gave a hesitant smile.

"You do realize I didn't actually do any of it, right?" she whispered quietly to the queen. Moriana gave her a smile.

"But if you hadn't come, none of this would have happened," Camea pointed out from Piper's other side. Piper gave them another hesitant smile, unable to refute that logic. Looking over at Eli, sitting between the King and Prince, she was calmed to see he looked as embarrassed as she did.

"Can we switch topics please?" she requested politely. Moriana nodded, her lips twitching at Piper's discomfort.

"You're still not used to the whole everyone-worships-you thing, are you?" Camea asked, amused. Piper's quiet groan was all the answer Camea needed as she started giggling.

"Well, if you keep doing what you've been doing, you're gonna get that and a whole lot more," Moriana informed her softly. "Commander Dante told me he's fielded several requests for your father's contact information so they can petition for your hand in marriage."

"WHAT?!?" Piper screeched at the queen, completely dumbstruck. Moriana chuckled as everyone in the room turned to the head table curiously. A quick glare from the king had everyone turning back to their food, though a few were not hiding the fact they were trying to listen in.

"I am not ready for marriage!" Piper squeaked quietly, absently noticing Eli's startled expression; he hadn't known what had upset her so much. "And when I am, I can guarantee I'll be choosing my significant other on my own, thank you very much!"

"Who's been requesting the information?" Camea asked curiously, patting the arm of the fuming girl next her. Moriana frowned.

"Lord Taynden on behalf of his son Tenari," Moriana told them with distaste. Just because they served her, didn't mean she had to like all of her court. She smiled slightly at Camea and Piper's horrified expressions. "As well as Lady Dena on behalf of her son, Declan."

"Declan?" Piper asked, startled. He was one of the Prince's Lords. Camea appeared just as surprised as Piper.

"I thought Declan was courting Thana," Camea commented, confused; Thana was one of Camea's Ladies. Moriana nodded.

"He is," she agreed, smiling. "According to Kellan, Declan was mighty put out when he discovered his mother is trying to set him up with Piper. While he enjoys your company, he has no interest in you romantically."

"I take it his mother has other plans?" Piper asked and Camea snorted.

"Declan's mother has tried setting him up with everyone _but_ Thana," she told Piper with a smirk. "Thana's father is a high ranking military man, which means Dena thinks she's beneath her son."

"Lady Dena has made no secret of the fact she expects her son to marry the daughter of a noble, not a soldier," Moriana added. "She thinks they're beneath those with inherited titles."

"She also frequently forgets that father was a soldier before marrying mother, not a noble," Camea said.

"I don't think that's accidental," Moriana sighed. "She was very disapproving of my marrying Vincent but seeing as how I was the princess and she was simply a lady in waiting, there wasn't a whole lot she could do except make it known she didn't approve."

"Well, I won't have to worry too much about marriage," Piper said after a moment. "Dad would never allow me to marry for anything but love."

"And even if he decided for some insane reason to go with it, your mother and grandfather wouldn't let him," Eli added from across the table. Piper smirked at that.

"Very true," she agreed. She turned to Moriana. "Was their anyone else?"

"Several more nobles and high ranking soldiers," Moriana agreed. "And several royal families from other planets have apparently done the same, according to the ranting Andros was doing at the last brunch he had with Vincent."

"Why do they want to marry me?" Piper asked, exasperated. "The only thing I can probably give them is a very large battle in the near future."

"Because you are Tyche," Moriana told her gently. "You are the epitome of good and purity and because of that, you wield more power than you know."

"Not just the power of Tyche," Camea added when she saw Piper about to speak. "Being Tyche will give you political clout on many worlds and even amongst the Alliance upper echelons."

"In short, being married to you would make your consort a very _very_ powerful man," Moriana finished. Piper sulked.

"I don't want that power," she mumbled. "I never did. I just wanted to help people; to follow in my families footsteps."

"And that makes you worthy of the power," Vincent told her seriously. Piper looked up; Eli, the king, and the prince were all watching her sympathetically. "To not want it means you will not abuse it as so many others would."

"If you want power, then you are not worthy of it," Moriana agreed. "Even if your intentions are honorable, power is seductive, dangerous. Your wish for power to help would, most likely, turn you evil."

"It is a strong man or woman who can wield power correctly and for the best interest of others, not for yourself," Kellan told her solemnly.

"It's like the Wiccan code back on earth," Eli spoke up quietly. "You cannot use your power for personal gain, but for the benefit and protection of others."

"The wrong thing for the right reason is still the wrong thing," Moriana approved.

* * *

"Lady Tyche," Piper looked up. After the rather depressing discussion on power, they'd moved onto more fun topics, like where Piper and Co. would be going next. Eventually, dinner had ended and the dancing and drinking had started.

"Lord Tenari," she greeted him with a tight smile.

"May I ask for a dance with the most beautiful woman here?" he asked, a smirk on his face. She almost gagged at the line.

"Well, I suppose but you'll have to pry Declan from Thana," she told him sweetly. Next to her, Camea, Kalea, Nikki, Ella, and Claudia coughed to cover laughs. Tenari gave a forced smile.

"I meant," he corrected, grabbing her hand and drawing her up. "May I have a dance with you?"

Without giving her the time to decline, he'd pulled her to the center of the room, swinging her gently into his arms. She looked back at the girls, shooting them a desperate look, before more dancing couples obstructed her view.

"You may already know but my father has inquired for your hand of marriage on my behalf," Tenari told her, sounding as though she should be honored he was doing it. "Being married to myself would give you great clout in Kerovian society."

"Do you take me for a moron?" she inquired softly, resisting the urge to cackle at his expression.

"I beg your pardon, my lady?" he asked politely, his eyes cold. She stared at him coolly.

"For I am not a moron, Lord Tenari, nor am I trophy," she informed him. "I already have more clout in Kerovian society than you could ever imagine—it would be you who would achieve a higher standing if you married me."

"Than you agree we would be great together," he almost purred. She raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him.

"I plan on being great all by myself," she told him coldly. "And incidentally, my father will be sending his rejection of you as a suitor very soon."

"Your father wouldn't dare reject the son of Lord Taynden," he told her softly, dangerously. "Do not assume our power lies only on KO-35."

"And you should not assume that my father is powerless," she shot back heatedly. "He is the son of a fallen ranger, consort of Salene's Chosen, son-in-law of the High Lord Admiral Tommy Oliver, and my Mortal father, not to mention being the second in command of the team who defeated Gruumm. I can guarantee he holds more power than your father ever will."

Tenari's expression was priceless—she had a feeling he hadn't realized just who all she was connected to. Being the daughter of Sky Tate and Aimee Oliver was one thing—but being the granddaughter of a High Lord Admiral was another.

Tommy had been given the title when her mother was ten years old—it made him the Earth member of the High Council of the Alliance of Good, the reigning universal body every planetary government answered to. It also made him as powerful as the Queen and King of each planet in the Alliance. Threatening and/or harming a member of a High Lord Admiral's family could be punishable by a life-sentence at an Alliance controlled prison.

Satisfied she'd made her point, she stepped away from him. "Thank you for the dance, Lord Tenari," she told him loud enough for others to hear. "It was…well, let's just say it was a trip."

With that, she turned on her heal and walked away, leaving behind a fuming Tenari and a few tittering nobles. She ignored the people moving to get her attention, instead focusing solely on getting out of the ballroom. She had never felt as angry as she did in that moment.

"What did the slime-ball say to you?"

Piper twirled around, gaping, in the middle of one of the palace gardens. Her sister simply smirked, arms crossed over her uniform.

"Paige, what are you doing here?!" she asked incredulously, moving to hug the younger girl. She sniffed and added "and why do you smell like that soup they served us?"

"First year cadets on KO-35 serve at all the royal and high noble functions," Paige told her, stepping back. "I'm technically supposed to be serving wine right now but I could tell you were pissed so I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Tenari is a self-centered bastard who told me it was dangerous to turn down a marriage proposal because his father was very powerful," she told her in one breathe. Paige blinked once before rolling her eyes.

"Why does that not surprise me?" she asked rhetorically. Piper frowned.

"I take it you know him?" she asked, sitting down on a corner bench. Paige sat across from her, smoothing her uniform.

"He's a member of the Kerovian B Squad," she told her grumpily. "I have two training classes with him daily—we've clashed."

"I bet," Piper grinned. "Did you kick his ass?"

"Twice," she replied proudly. Piper snickered.

"Good for you," she told her with a grin.

"Cadet Tate, what are you doing out here?!" Piper and Paige both jumped as a man in a dress uniform came bursting out of the door.

"Lt. Commander, I was just--"

"None of the other cadets are taking breaks, Cadet Tate!" the man scowled. "You should be inside serving wine, not staring at the stars!"

Piper suddenly realized he couldn't see her due to the shadows she was sitting in. She stood. "I apologize, Lt. Commander," she said, moving into the light so he could see who she was. "I was talking with Cadet Tate and lost track of time."

The man started. "Lady Tyche, it is an honor," he bowed, glancing at Paige in surprise. "I wasn't aware you knew Cadet Tate."

"Oh, we grew up together," Piper said, smiling cheekily. The Lt. Commander looked confused, while Paige simply smirked.

"Pardon?"

"Lt. Commander, you are aware Tate also happens to be my last name, aren't you?" Piper asked sweetly, her eyes twinkling as the man made the connection. He gaped.

"Cadet Tate is…" he trailed off at Piper and Paige's nod.

"My younger sister," Piper agreed with a proud smile. "She came out to say hi and we got to talking, and as I said, lost track of time. I apologize."

"No, no, Lady Tyche, I should not have assumed she was blowing off the work," he told her, stuttering. "Paige is the one who usually volunteers first for these kinds of things; blowing anything off isn't her style. Unless it's mathematics."

Piper snickered at her sister's pout.

"Math sucks," Paige muttered.

"I agree," Troy said, stepping into the garden. Paige's eyes lit up as she launched herself at her older brother.

"TROY!"

Laughing, the oldest Tate child caught the Kerovian cadet. "I wondered if we'd ever get the chance to see you before we head out," he said, hugging her. Paige frowned.

"You're leaving?" she asked unhappily. Troy exchanged a look with Piper who nodded.

"We're going to Triforia the day after tomorrow," she answered her sister softly. Lt. Commander Averick smiled and quietly went back inside, leaving the three siblings alone to talk.


End file.
